On the Insane Origin of Sanity

In the name of medicine, modern society strips the mentally ill of their freedom, turns them into outcasts, and forces treatment

upon them—often against their will. Much has been written about the role insanity plays in defining sanity (Goffman; Miller Brown; Szasz; Foucault), and on the possibility that sanity generates insanity (Laing, Divided Self). The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that due to its uniqueness, insanity can revitalize society with innovative patterns that are not readily available to the sane. As such, this essay suggests that insanity be perceived not as the negative of sanity, but rather as alternative expecting to be realized.

Society and the Individual

Society, as an infrastructure that integrates individuals into an organized general body, is called upon to implement various unifying measures. The most important of these is the definition of social goals and delineation of basic ethical norms. The social goals and norms delineate the individual's path and act as a focus of attraction for a person's actions. Beyond the goals and norms, society has woven an extensive net of prohibitions designed to distance the individual from activities that are apt to harm the delicate social fabric. Such are prohibitions against incest, which prevent the corruption of the family structure, prohibitions against theft, which protect the individual's property, and so on. The system of social prohibitions acts as a mean of cohesion: as the individuals distance themselves from prohibitions, they draw themselves closer to the permitted. When the positive and negative cohesive methods fail, society reacts by implementing sanctions, whose strength is in direct proportion to the degree of deviation from the desired and permissible. Thus, minor deviations are dealt by warnings and monetary punishments, while in more severe cases, which either threaten the fabric of society or substantially disturb morality, more stringent methods are taken. Then,