The Logic of Madness

This book follows up the author's earlier study entitled The Logic of Self-Destruction by presenting a new theory of mental illness based on the same fundamental mathematical and logical approach that sees the human being as a computational and self-referencing machine that goal-seeks specific emotional outcomes. Even if one does not agree with this initial starting point, the logic leads to some very interesting and important insights, including that madness is in fact rational and logical. We have the capacity to out-think our emotions and biology but can end up in complex, circular and compound self-destructive loops - here lies madness. In this context, an emotion is defined as a biological mechanism that causes an action state. The author makes his case very thoroughly, discussing the history of psychiatric classifications, causes and cures before looking in detail at compulsions, impulsions and delusions. The overall implication is a move away from pharmacology towards a new understanding of emotions, their causes and our responses. The book is rigorous, technical and demanding, and deserves to be widely read and debated by mental health professionals looking for new models and directions.