Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness

Justin Garson introduces the distinction between two views on Madness we encounter again and again throughout history: Madness as dysfunction, and Madness as strategy. On the latter view, Madness serves some purpose for the person experiencing it, even if it’s simultaneously harmful. The strategy vi...

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Main Authors: Sofia Jeppsson, Paul Lodge
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Rijeka. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences 2025-01-01
Series:European Journal of Analytic Philosophy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/478883
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author Sofia Jeppsson
Paul Lodge
author_facet Sofia Jeppsson
Paul Lodge
author_sort Sofia Jeppsson
collection DOAJ
description Justin Garson introduces the distinction between two views on Madness we encounter again and again throughout history: Madness as dysfunction, and Madness as strategy. On the latter view, Madness serves some purpose for the person experiencing it, even if it’s simultaneously harmful. The strategy view makes intelligible why Madness often holds a certain allure—even when it’s prima facie terrifying. Moreover, if Madness is a strategy in Garson’s metaphorical sense—if it serves a purpose—it makes sense to use consciously chosen strategies for living with Madness that don’t necessarily aim to annihilate or repress it as far as possible. In this paper, we use our own respective stories as case studies. We have both struggled to resist the allure of Madness, and both ended up embracing a kind of Pyrrhonian scepticism about reality instead of clinging to sane reality.
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spelling doaj-art-47b5a4e0b6304a34a1e8e4e9f668e6d02025-08-20T03:08:57ZengUniversity of Rijeka. Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesEuropean Journal of Analytic Philosophy1845-84751849-05142025-01-0121211713210.31820/ejap.21.2.2Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of MadnessSofia Jeppsson0Paul Lodge1Umeå University, SwedenUniversity of Oxford, United KingdomJustin Garson introduces the distinction between two views on Madness we encounter again and again throughout history: Madness as dysfunction, and Madness as strategy. On the latter view, Madness serves some purpose for the person experiencing it, even if it’s simultaneously harmful. The strategy view makes intelligible why Madness often holds a certain allure—even when it’s prima facie terrifying. Moreover, if Madness is a strategy in Garson’s metaphorical sense—if it serves a purpose—it makes sense to use consciously chosen strategies for living with Madness that don’t necessarily aim to annihilate or repress it as far as possible. In this paper, we use our own respective stories as case studies. We have both struggled to resist the allure of Madness, and both ended up embracing a kind of Pyrrhonian scepticism about reality instead of clinging to sane reality.https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/478883madnessPyrrhonian scepticismmaniapsychosispsychiatry
spellingShingle Sofia Jeppsson
Paul Lodge
Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
European Journal of Analytic Philosophy
madness
Pyrrhonian scepticism
mania
psychosis
psychiatry
title Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
title_full Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
title_fullStr Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
title_full_unstemmed Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
title_short Strategy, Pyrrhonian Scepticism and the Allure of Madness
title_sort strategy pyrrhonian scepticism and the allure of madness
topic madness
Pyrrhonian scepticism
mania
psychosis
psychiatry
url https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/478883
work_keys_str_mv AT sofiajeppsson strategypyrrhonianscepticismandtheallureofmadness
AT paullodge strategypyrrhonianscepticismandtheallureofmadness