On Delusion

Now, as ‘promised’, I’d like to come to the book ‘On Delusion’ (2011) by Jennifer Radden. 

Radden is Professor of Philosophy and a former Chair of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA. She is well known for her work within philosophy of psychology and psychiatry. She describes a variety of Clinical Delusions (like hallucinations, strange body experiences and the like) and illustrates various states of psychosis.

In one chapter, Radden focuses on (spiritual) leaders that insulate their delusional personality with a charismatic aura. And believe me, they are Masters of doing so. She further differentiates between ‘delusional’, ‘delusion-like’ and ‘overvalued’ and explains how these ideas get disseminated (social contagion, group delusion, madness of the crowds). Her book is quite demanding and I do not claim to have understood everything well enough (on the contrary).

One chapter focuses on ‘Spiritual Delusions’ (of the dangerous kind). Of course  - as you may agree - nothing is simple, in particular when we take into account what the ‘regular’ religions teach and followers are supposed to believe. But here, we are more on the clinical side, meaning: we focus on symptomatic incorrigibility (stubbornness, declining of other explanations), misuse of charismatic power, establishing of a framework of indoctrination and constant persuasion, advocating bizarre combinations of seemingly unrelated facts (to the surprise and awe of the audience), the occurrence of sudden flashes of revelation, signs of narcissism, grandiosity, the lack of self-conscious monitoring and supervision, and their acting with impulses of aggression (including sexual misconduct).

Oh yes, the inflated mind is quite beautiful  - as is a carnivorous plant