Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JimboWales (talk | contribs) at 21:27, 6 February 2001. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

You people are driving me crazy! *wink* Just kidding. I couldn't resist. Keep talking... --JimboWales

This article is actually better regarded as being about insanity, a topic about which many reams have been written. Examples of encyclopedia articles about this topic for your reference: mental disorder -- insanity (topic in the law) -- mental health -- insanity (topic in the law)

""SanIty" is variously defined as; the quality of a sound or healthy mind, rationality, the ability to discern right and wrong, "believing and thinking as you ought to believe and think, according to me," and any number of other definitions which users find expedient." Is this even true, or are you only speculating: who defines the term this way? Shouldn't you consider actual attempts to define the term? Shouldn't you at least say something that reflects what psychologists know and believe about sanity and insanity. -- LarrySanger

Well - hey, Dr. Sanger: I'm not even half done with the article yet. In authoritarian societies, under the imprimateur of supposed scientific soundness and by psychologists and psychiatrists educated in the best universities, we have had the political definition of sanity - ie, that which authority authorizes you to perceive, think, believe. Those who openly stray from it can be confined to mental institutions in order that their misbehaving minds might be tamed by shock "therapy,", lobotomy, and any number of other treatments. At least one public figure's wife right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A. fell victim to the same definition. South Africa has a history of declaring uppity blacks insane and visiting experimental psychiatric treatments on them, some fatal. I also will be dealing with the issues of reality testing and social norming, other hallmarks of sanity, before I am done. Please be patient. All this to be described as time permits. If you don't like the article when I am done, I am willing to adjust it so that it does not a) offend or b) reflect unsupported "idiosyncratic" views.

Besides - I was unaware WikiPedia was to remain mainstream, or to repeat what other publications have already said over and over?

Bruce, you have the right on Misplaced Pages to write whatever you want. I reserve the right to write and change whatever I want (such as state my own opinions as to what Misplaced Pages should be like) as well! For one thing, Misplaced Pages should be unbiased. An article about sanity, in my opinion, should not be about Bruce's views about sanity, or Larry's views, or any one person's views, because that's inherently biased. It should be about what is generally known and believed about sanity, making plenty of room for a clear statement of the view of those mental health professionals who happen to believe as Bruce believes (or rather, vice-versa). Isn't that reasonable? -- LarrySanger

Of course it is. I believe once you see the finished article you will not find it biased, though it may throw a fresh light on some things. As always, I will stand ready to make adjustments if folks want. Anything I write is going to be from my point of view. Unlike anything I write for Nupedia, I am apt to rely of my storehouse of retained information and conclusions synthesized from it, and not research, re-research, buttress and pepper the text with references from others' scholarly works. All valid views are not necessarily mainstream. All mainstream views are not necessarily valid. I will, however, always attempt to rest what I write solidly upon either published research, replicable empirical observation, or both. You let me know if I mis-remember or mis-represent anything, and I'll fix it.