Reason & rationality – Page 39

The problems of describing mental illness

April 23, 2014 Julian Baggini Articles & Essays

We are often told that there is still a stigma surrounding mental illness. It is therefore strange that the England cricketer Jonathan Trott was stigmatised for allegedly not having one. Trott left the England tour of Australia in November citing a “long-standing, stress-related condition”. But when he gave an interview last month explaining that he was burnt out rather than depressed, the former England captain Michael Vaughan said that he felt “a little bit conned”, saying, “When I hear players talking about burnout, I suspect it is an excuse.”

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Shellburne Thurber’s images of consulting rooms

April 21, 2014 Julian Baggini Articles & Essays, The Shrink and The Sage

American photographer Shellburne Thurber’s images of consulting rooms reveal the tensions of psychoanalysis. The “patient” lies on the couch, as though receiving medical treatment. At the same time, the walls are lined with books, paintings and objets d’art, telling us this is not a hospital but a site of intellectual endeavour. So is psychoanalysis a “talking cure” for the sick or a creative, humanistic exploration of the psyche? The ambiguous set-up of the therapeutic space suggests it is a little of both.

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Should we be religious?

March 31, 2014 Julian Baggini The Shrink and The Sage

We can’t just choose what to believe because it would be convenient to do so. Of course, people do sometimes deceive themselves to avoid uncomfortable truths but that usually happens unconsciously. Believing by mere force of effort is nigh on impossible.

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Should we avoid value judgments?

March 18, 2014 Julian Baggini The Shrink and The Sage

No one has infallible access to moral truth and there is more than one good way to live. But that does not mean that no one has any moral insight and that there aren’t many wrong ways to live. The alternative to unjustified confidence in the one true way is not a misguided faith in the validity of all paths.

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Stoicism for Everyday Life

March 18, 2014 Julian Baggini Asides, Talks and events

VIDEO: ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION FROM STOICISM FOR EVERYDAY LIFE EVENT. The full round-table discussion (one hour long) from the Stoicism for Everyday Life event at Birkbeck, University of London, on November 30th. Participants included Prof. Chris Gill chairing Julian Baggini, Jules Evans, Antonia Macaro, Richard Sorabji, and Mark Vernon.

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