The Paradoxes of Delusion
Wittgenstein, Schreber, and the Schizophrenic Mind

Louis A. Sass (Author)

9780801498992

Paperback / softback, published 1 June 1995

208 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.454 kg

In this scholarly and well-written book, the author seeks to reinterpret Schreber by means of the following idiosyncratic syllogism: the doctrine of solipsism is central in Wittgenstein; solipsism is an explanation of schizophrenia; solipsism is an explaination of Schreber.

Insanity—in clinical practice as in the popular imagination—is seen as a state of believing things that are not true and perceiving things that do not exist. Most schizophrenics, however, do not act as if they mistake their delusions for reality. In a work of uncommon insight and empathy, Louis A. Sass shatters conventional thinking about insanity by juxtaposing the narratives of delusional schizophrenics with the philosophical writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein.