Today's post is by Kengo Miyazono , Hiroshima University, who talks about his latest book, Delusions and Beliefs (Routledge 2018). This book addresses the following theoretical questions about delusions: (1) The Nature Question : What is a delusion? In particular, what kind of mental state is it? The standard view in psychiatry is that delusions are beliefs. But, is this view (‘doxasticism about delusion’) really true? Delusions have a number of peculiar features that are not belief-like, such as the remarkable insensitivity to evidence. Are these peculiar features consistent with the doxastic conception of delusions? (2) The Pathology Question : Delusions are pathological mental states. Delusions, together with other symptoms, warrant clinical diagnoses and treatments. Why are delusions pathological? What distinguishes pathological delusions from non-pathological irrational beliefs? Are delusions pathological because they are too irrational? Or, are they pathological because...
A blog at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and mental health