The book is rigorous, technical and demanding, and deserves to be widely read and debated by mental health professionals looking for new models and directions.
Blakeway has created a model of self-destructive complex action states that we commonly called “madness.” This is a provocative and radical new way of thinking, and one that deserves our attention. It opens the door to new therapies that specifically target the corrupted emotions. This could lead to better psychiatric care of the “mentally ill,” diminish drug therapies, and start to replace them with talk therapies combined with targeted cognitive re-training. These ideas should be given careful consideration if we are to provide the best help possible for those who need it the most.
Review of “The Logic of Madness” in Frontiers in Psychology
This is a complex and demanding book, but the topic could not be more important in our time.
This is a book, both comprehensive and thought-provoking, with a timely thesis that is a “must read” for anyone interested in human behaviour and our collective future. […] This is a provocative and radical new way of thinking, and one that deserves our attention. It opens the door to new therapies that specifically target the corrupted emotions.
Review of “The Logic of Self-Destruction” in Frontiers in Psychology
Via a series of thought experiments, Blakeway offers a fascinating journey through evolutionary theory, philosophy and psychology. While assuming that humans are robustly logical, he explains self-destructive actions and ideological beliefs. From an innovative analysis of the Holocaust to reflections on rising fundamentalism, his argument is convincing.
“The Logic of Self-Destruction” in Times Higher Education
There’s something rather fin de siècle about 2014, and nowhere more so than in philosophy books. Matthew Blakeway’s The Logic of Self-destruction: The Algorithm of Human Rationality (Meyer LeBoeuf) is an ambitious survey.
Martin Cohen, editor of The Philosopher, nominates his book of the year 2014, Times Higher Education