Madness and civilization : a history of insanity in the Age of Reason

In recent years the question of madness and how to define it has become the centre of a great deal of discussion. This is the question the distinguished French psychologist and philosopher Michel Foucault seeks to answer by studying madness from 1500 to 1800 - from the Middle Ages when insanity was considered part of everyday life and fools and madmen walked the streets, to the point when these people began to be considered a threat, asylums were built for the first time, and a wall was erected between the insane and the rest of humanity. In this classic account of madness, Michel Foucault demonstrates why his position as one of the most distinguished of European philosophers since the end of World War II is beyond doubt; his influence dominates contemporary thinking. "Madness and Civilization" is Foucault's first major text and is seminal to the study of his work, since his other books expand on themes established here: power and imprisonment are at the very heart of this study. Evoking shock, pity and fascination, this book aims to change the way the reader thinks about society and the nature of selfhood In this classic account of madness, Michel Foucault shows once and for all why he is one of the most distinguished European philosophers since the end of World War II. Madness and Civilization, Foucault's first book and his finest accomplishment, will change the way in which you think about society. Evoking shock, pity and fascination, it might also make you question the way you think about yourself. This text is a classic of French post-structuralist scholarship and is widely recommended on humanities courses across a variety of disciplines. Foucault's analysis of psychology is a devastating critique of the common understanding of insanity