"Some of Szasz' finest essays. . . . Shows more extensively than any of his works the philosophical foundations he believes necessary for a society which truly supports freedom and autonomy of the individual."—Philosophy and Rhetoric
"We are treated once again to one of the most prolific, penetrating and passionate libertarian thinkers of this century. . . . Always we are confronted with choice and values; and in the process, Szasz teaches us something new about the meanings of law, ethics, criminology, political science, and sociology."—Libertarian Review
"His performance—as scholar, as debater, as gadfly, as stylist—is impressive, as always."—The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"A genuinely introductory exposure to Szasz' stimulating and provocative assessment of psychiatry. . . . With never a dull page, Szasz' literary style is so readable and his arguments so commonsensical as to constitute this book a delight to read whether one agrees or disagrees with his warm- hearted humanism."—Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Table of Contents
1. The Moral Physician
2. Illness and Indignity
3. A Map for Medical Ethics: The Moral Justifications of Medical Interventions
4. The Ethics of Addiction
5. The Ethics of Behavior Therapy
6. The Ethics of Suicide
7. Language and Lunacy
8. The Right to Health
9. Justice in the Therapeutic State
10. The Illogic and Immorality of Involuntary Psychiatric Interventions: A Personal Restatement
11. The Metaphors of Faith and Folly
12. Medicine and State: A Humanist Interview
Index
About the Author
Thomas Szasz is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. His books include Law, Liberty, and Psychiatry, The Manufacture of Madness, Ideology and Insanity, Ceremonial Chemistry, The Myth of Psychotherapy, Psychiatry: The Science of Lies, and The Medicalization of Everyday Life, all published by Syracuse University Press.
5.25 x 8.25, 198 pages
April 1988