Delusions and the Madness of the Masses

According to the author, there is an alarming inclination for people to succumb to delusional thinking. Contrary to popular opinion, such thought processes are not limited to the mentally ill. Instead, there is growing evidence to show that large segments of the public harbor a wide variety of delusions, none of which are innocent, and many of which are pushing our societies to the brink of war. This book aims to understand the nature of delusions and how they are generated. By providing a deeper understanding of delusions, the author challenges the assumption that a whole community cannot be deluded, concluding that even very large groups of people can be considered collectively mad. Reznek offers case studies of madness both in individuals and in society throughout the book, relieving the reader of requiring a first-hand experience of psychosis, and revealing the nature of delusions as they affect us all.

Lawrie Reznek is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and has written a number of books on the philosophical foundations of psychiatry.

1 Introduction: Delusions about Delusions 2 Chapter One: The Translation Paradox 3 Chapter Two: The Incorrigibility Paradox 4 Chapter Three: Is Everyone Mad? 5 Chapter Four: The Community Paradox 6 Chapter Five: Communal Madness: Religious and Secular 7 Chapter Six: The Rationality Paradox 8 Chapter Seven: The Evolution of Error 9 Chapter Eight: Delusions are Dangerous 10 Conclusion: The Sleep of Reason