Strong imagination
madness, creativity and human nature
Our rough guess is there are 58,750 words in this book.
At a pace averaging 250 words per minute, this book will take 3 hours and 55 minutes to read. With a half hour per day, this will take 8 days to read.
How long will it take you?
This book will take an estimated to read at a reading speed averaging words per minute. With 30 minutes per day, this will take to read.
Enter your reading speedYou can take one of our WPM reading speed tests to find your reading speed.
Create a free account to track your reading progress, build your reading list, and set reading goals.
Word Count
58,750 words, Guess
Page Count
235 pages
Identifiers
- Internet Archivestrongimaginatio0000nett
- ISBN-100198507062
- ISBN-10019850876X
- ISBN-139780198507062
- ISBN-139780198508762
and 6 more
- LibraryThing456021
- Library of Congress Control Number2001270111
- OCLC Control Number45648520
- Better World Books9780198507062
- Better World Books9780198508762
- Open LibraryOL3965260M
Classifications
- DDC616.89
- LCCBF423 .N48 2001
- LCCBF423.N48 2001
Description
Madness is the central mystery of the human psyche. Our minds evolved to give us a faithful understanding of reality, to allow us to integrate into our communities, and to help us adapt our behaviour to our environment. Yet in serious mental illness, the mind does exactly the opposite of these things. The sufferer builds castles of imaginative delusion, fails to adapt, and becomes a stranger among his own people. Yet mental illness is no marginal phenomenon: it is found in all societies and all historical epochs, and the genes that underlie it are quite common. Furthermore, the traits that identify the madman are found in attenuated form in normal thinking and feeling. The persistence of madness, then, is a terrible puzzle from both an evolutionary and a human point of view. In Strong Imagination, Daniel Nettle explores the nature of mental illness, the biological mechanisms that underlie it, and its link to creative genius. He goes on to consider the place of both madness and creative imagination in the evolution of our species. - Jacket flap.
Description
"Madness is the central mystery of the human psyche. Our minds evolved to give us a faithful understanding of reality, to allow us to integrate into our communities, and to help us adapt our behaviour to our environment. Yet in serious mental illness, the mind does exactly the opposite of these things. The sufferer builds castles of imaginative delusion, fails to adapt, and becomes a stranger among his own people. Yet mental illness is no marginal phenomenon: it is found in all societies and all historical epochs, and the genes that underlie it are quite common. Furthermore, the traits that identify the madman are found in attenuated form in normal thinking and feeling. The persistence of madness, then, is a terrible puzzle from both an evolutionary and a human point of view." "In Strong Imagination, Daniel Nettle explores the nature of mental illness, the biological mechanisms that underlie it, and its link to creative genius. He goes on to consider the place of both madness and creative imagination in the evolution of our species."--Jacket.
Subjects
Other Editions
- Strong imagination: madness, creativity and human nature
Reader Reviews
No reviews yet for this book.
Be the first to share your thoughts!