Words to the Wise

A Medical-Philosophical Dictionary

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Modern
Cover of the book Words to the Wise by Thomas Szasz, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Thomas Szasz ISBN: 9781351471121
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Thomas Szasz
ISBN: 9781351471121
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

"The human mind abhors the absence of explanation, but full understanding is never possible. Human understanding is likely to be incomplete at best and, more often, utterly fallacious. To make matters worse, it is likely to be supported as truth and wisdom by religious and scientific authority, intellectual fashion and social convention. In Words to the Wise, Thomas Szasz offers a compendium of thoughts, observations, and aphorisms that address our understanding of a broad range of subjects, from birth to death.In this book, Szasz tackles a problem intrinsic to the human condition. What problem? In the words of the American humorist Josh Billings: ""The trouble with people is not what they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so."" Many of Thomas Szasz's books have been devoted to exposing what ""ain't so"" about mental illness and psychiatry. Here, Szasz applies the same skeptical spirit to the larger problem of people knowing much that ""ain't so."" About addiction, Szasz observes: ""If a person ingests a drug prohibited by legislators and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves he is an addict; if he ingests a drug prescribed by a psychiatrist and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves that mental illness is a biomedical disease."" About beauty: ""Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; ugliness is in the personality of the beholden."" About libertarians: ""Libertarians regard liberty as contingent on the right to property; scientists regard disease as contingent on pathological alteration of the body. All libertarians reject the notion of 'socialist liberty,' yet many accept the notion of 'mental disease.'"" Or about power: ""Many of my critics say I am hostile to medicine and physicians. They are wrong. I am hostile only to the power of the medical profession and of physicians.""Szasz notes that despite enormous social pressure for a shared perspective on how the world works and how we ought to live, every person'saunde"

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"The human mind abhors the absence of explanation, but full understanding is never possible. Human understanding is likely to be incomplete at best and, more often, utterly fallacious. To make matters worse, it is likely to be supported as truth and wisdom by religious and scientific authority, intellectual fashion and social convention. In Words to the Wise, Thomas Szasz offers a compendium of thoughts, observations, and aphorisms that address our understanding of a broad range of subjects, from birth to death.In this book, Szasz tackles a problem intrinsic to the human condition. What problem? In the words of the American humorist Josh Billings: ""The trouble with people is not what they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so."" Many of Thomas Szasz's books have been devoted to exposing what ""ain't so"" about mental illness and psychiatry. Here, Szasz applies the same skeptical spirit to the larger problem of people knowing much that ""ain't so."" About addiction, Szasz observes: ""If a person ingests a drug prohibited by legislators and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves he is an addict; if he ingests a drug prescribed by a psychiatrist and claims that it makes him feel better, that proves that mental illness is a biomedical disease."" About beauty: ""Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; ugliness is in the personality of the beholden."" About libertarians: ""Libertarians regard liberty as contingent on the right to property; scientists regard disease as contingent on pathological alteration of the body. All libertarians reject the notion of 'socialist liberty,' yet many accept the notion of 'mental disease.'"" Or about power: ""Many of my critics say I am hostile to medicine and physicians. They are wrong. I am hostile only to the power of the medical profession and of physicians.""Szasz notes that despite enormous social pressure for a shared perspective on how the world works and how we ought to live, every person'saunde"

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Behaviour by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Evolutionism In Cultural Anthropology by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Criminal Justice, Mental Health and the Politics of Risk by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Pakistan - The Political Economy of Growth, Stagnation and the State, 1951-2009 by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book The Arab Gulf States and Japan by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book White Settlers by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Sport and Physical Education in China by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Postdevelopment in Practice by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Gender Consciousness and Privilege by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Introducing Cultural Studies by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Western Plainchant in the First Millennium by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Populism and the Crisis of Democracy by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Individualism and Moral Character by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Ethno-ornithology by Thomas Szasz
Cover of the book Improving Foreign Language Speaking through Formative Assessment by Thomas Szasz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy