ramblings du jour
Dec. 11th, 2006 12:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfishieI was thinking about R.D. Laing this morning, a scottish psychologist from the 60s. He was at one time a rather controversial figure in psychology and philosophy; due to his lyrical writing, mixing in of mysticism, left wing politics etc. I haven't always loved his work, but it has on occasion made me think. This should not be taken as a post telling you to go out and read it, more as a post made because it pops into my head from time to time.
His writing dealt a lot with society's expectations versus individuality..
"What we think is less than what we know;
What we know is less than what we love;
What we love is so much less than what there is.
And to that precise extent we are so much less than what we are."
-R.D Laing, Politics of Experience
I think the appeal of some of his work is in the relational and its sometimes recursive nature. I have a book of poetry he wrote, buried somewhere in or on top of one of the many bookshelves at home, called knots; which is all small bits about perception building on top of perception until as you read the interlacings, your head starts to hurt.
I first read some of his work in a class called Sanity Madness and Society back in 1996; it was an independent study with 3 other students where we met in the professor's office during his lunch hour and just talked philosophy for an hour or two, related to books we had read.
The discussions dealt with differing perspectives on madness (different cultures and time periods), the nature of sanity and the brain (the chemical brain vs. the soul), and ways of controlling and conforming people; ways of treating mental disease. How spirituality fit into this to a lesser extent.
I know I'm ruminating on it because I've been thinking in general on conformity and how some people change as they get older; how they stop learning, stop growing...stagnate; lose their sense of fun and joy, and what society's role is in the process.
I think of friends I used to know who were always delving into new things, always learning, and who have now become so gray, and have lost their sense of fun. I guess I'm wondering at the process.
I'm in such an odd mood today, I suspect I'll be back to normal tomorrow...I'm just going to blame it on forgetting to take my allergy meds ;)
His writing dealt a lot with society's expectations versus individuality..
"What we think is less than what we know;
What we know is less than what we love;
What we love is so much less than what there is.
And to that precise extent we are so much less than what we are."
-R.D Laing, Politics of Experience
I think the appeal of some of his work is in the relational and its sometimes recursive nature. I have a book of poetry he wrote, buried somewhere in or on top of one of the many bookshelves at home, called knots; which is all small bits about perception building on top of perception until as you read the interlacings, your head starts to hurt.
I first read some of his work in a class called Sanity Madness and Society back in 1996; it was an independent study with 3 other students where we met in the professor's office during his lunch hour and just talked philosophy for an hour or two, related to books we had read.
The discussions dealt with differing perspectives on madness (different cultures and time periods), the nature of sanity and the brain (the chemical brain vs. the soul), and ways of controlling and conforming people; ways of treating mental disease. How spirituality fit into this to a lesser extent.
I know I'm ruminating on it because I've been thinking in general on conformity and how some people change as they get older; how they stop learning, stop growing...stagnate; lose their sense of fun and joy, and what society's role is in the process.
I think of friends I used to know who were always delving into new things, always learning, and who have now become so gray, and have lost their sense of fun. I guess I'm wondering at the process.
I'm in such an odd mood today, I suspect I'll be back to normal tomorrow...I'm just going to blame it on forgetting to take my allergy meds ;)
