Is Madness an Evolved Signal? – Justin Garson on Strategy Versus Dysfunction

Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health

Justin Garson is a Professor of Philosophy at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, and a contributor for Psychology Today and Aeon. He writes on the philosophy of madness, the evolution of the mind and purpose in nature. His most recent book is Madness: A Philosophical Exploration, published by Oxford University Press in 2022. He is also the author of the forthcoming The Madness Pill: The Quest to Create Insanity and One Doctor’s Discovery that Transformed Psychiatry, which will be published by St. Martin’s Press.

In this interview, Justin joins us to talk about the ways in which society has attempted to explain or categorize madness over the years. We also discuss the value of looking at madness, not as disease or defect, but as a designed feature.

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