RE: The Games We Play: R.D. Laing's Poetry of Pathology
Rather, they were rational reactions to the insane games played by such authoritarian institutions as family, government, and the church.
This is a compelling thought—I've tumbled the idea of rationality and insanity around quite a lot. Namely the problem of "rational and/or insane from whose perspective?—what's the 'measure' that identifies one from the other?"
My mind has naturally wanted to bring the idea of health into the arguement to say something like: If the mind state of the subject has led them to become unhealthy and/or otherwise caused them to lose certain controls over themselves, then that must imply that they are insane or are divorcing themselves from rationality.
However, the good point that you brought up would effectively challenge that claim and say they've been made unhealthy by their 'insane' surroundings and their contrastingly healthy minds lack the ability to cope with or exist in tandem with their environment.
Thanks for such an interesting response!
Even Laing would admit, at the end of the day, that people suffering with schizophrenia need help. The question is what are we helping them to do; reacquire an absolute, idealistic notion of 'rationality' which exists above and beyond human experience, or adjust to a version of rationality which in itself is a product of human experience and society?
I suppose it falls back into that age old debate of nature vs. nurture. Whether we have innate natures in whose image the outside environment is shaped, or the outside environment ultimately shapes us and creates who we are. I tend to fall into the nurture category, hence my attraction to practitioners like Laing. Can we really 'lose control', as you say, when so much of our experience of reality is firmly out of our control to begin with?
Appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts :)