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The insanity plea: Szaszian ethics and epistemology

  • Psychiatry and Freedom
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Abstract

The traditional legal verdict of ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’ as well as the more recent verdict of ‘guilty but mentally ill’ rest on often unquestioned epistemological assumptions about human behavior and its causes, unjustified reliance on forensic psychiatrists, and questionable, if not deplorable ethical standards. This paper offers a critique of legal perspectives on insanity, historical and current, based on the altermative epistemological and ethical assumptions of Thomas S. Szasz. In addition, we examine Szasz's unique rhetorical analysis of ‘mental illness’ and its implications for forensic psychiatry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Administration of Justice, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Lee S. Weinberg

  2. Dept. of Rhetoric and Communication, Towson State University, Baltimore, Maryland

    Richard E. Vatz

Authors
  1. Lee S. Weinberg
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  2. Richard E. Vatz
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Weinberg, L.S., Vatz, R.E. The insanity plea: Szaszian ethics and epistemology. Metamedicine 3, 417–433 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00900941

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00900941

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