sailingaway
04-05-2013, 12:44 AM
I had never seen this but it was tweeted today and it is absolutely understandable why Ron would give a tribute to this guy:
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ‘‘The Man versus the Therapeutic State,’’ by Jacob Sullivan [sic] of Reason magazine. This piece pays tribute to Dr. Thomas Szasz, who passed away on September 8th of this year.
Dr. Szasz, a trained psychiatrist, was the leading opponent of what he labeled the ‘‘therapeutic state.’’ For over fifty years, in 35 books, and hundreds of articles, Dr. Szasz defended human liberty and dignity against modern psychiatry. Modern psychiatry, of course, insists that behaviors which deviate from some arbitrary norm serve as signs or symptoms of organic ‘‘mental illnesses’’ (although the physiological mechanisms never seem to be clearly identified, much less explained). Since ‘‘sick people’’ are incapable of controlling themselves, it is the responsibility of government to protect them by constraining their ability to make harmful choices.
This is the mentality that Dr. Szasz fought against so valiantly. By applying the philosophy of liberty to psychiatry, Dr. Szasz undermined the ‘‘individual as helpless victim’’ mentality that helps justify restrictors on personal liberty when it comes to drugs, fatty foods, sodas, pornography, gambling, etc. Dr. Szasz clearly understood, and predicated, the rise of the therapeutic nanny state.
No doubt Dr. Szasz could have enjoyed a successful career had he moderated his views or kept quiet instead of presenting a principled challenge to the psychiatric-government complex. But Dr. Szasz was one of those rare individuals who could not be silent when liberty was threatened. For his courage in speaking truth to power, Dr. Szasz was rewarded with ridicule and scorn from the gatekeepers of ‘‘respectable’’ opinion. However, Dr. Szasz did find a receptive audience among the ranks of the liberty movement, where he quickly earned a place as one of the movement’s most distinguished thinkers. With the recent growth of the liberty movement, I would not be surprised if Dr. Szasz’s influence becomes greater in the next several years.
Certainly, all of us who work for individual liberty should be grateful for Dr. Thomas Szasz’s contributions to the cause of freedom.
Reason's article, which Ron inserted, is at the linK: http://www.cchrint.org/2012/12/22/tribute-to-thomas-szasz/
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ‘‘The Man versus the Therapeutic State,’’ by Jacob Sullivan [sic] of Reason magazine. This piece pays tribute to Dr. Thomas Szasz, who passed away on September 8th of this year.
Dr. Szasz, a trained psychiatrist, was the leading opponent of what he labeled the ‘‘therapeutic state.’’ For over fifty years, in 35 books, and hundreds of articles, Dr. Szasz defended human liberty and dignity against modern psychiatry. Modern psychiatry, of course, insists that behaviors which deviate from some arbitrary norm serve as signs or symptoms of organic ‘‘mental illnesses’’ (although the physiological mechanisms never seem to be clearly identified, much less explained). Since ‘‘sick people’’ are incapable of controlling themselves, it is the responsibility of government to protect them by constraining their ability to make harmful choices.
This is the mentality that Dr. Szasz fought against so valiantly. By applying the philosophy of liberty to psychiatry, Dr. Szasz undermined the ‘‘individual as helpless victim’’ mentality that helps justify restrictors on personal liberty when it comes to drugs, fatty foods, sodas, pornography, gambling, etc. Dr. Szasz clearly understood, and predicated, the rise of the therapeutic nanny state.
No doubt Dr. Szasz could have enjoyed a successful career had he moderated his views or kept quiet instead of presenting a principled challenge to the psychiatric-government complex. But Dr. Szasz was one of those rare individuals who could not be silent when liberty was threatened. For his courage in speaking truth to power, Dr. Szasz was rewarded with ridicule and scorn from the gatekeepers of ‘‘respectable’’ opinion. However, Dr. Szasz did find a receptive audience among the ranks of the liberty movement, where he quickly earned a place as one of the movement’s most distinguished thinkers. With the recent growth of the liberty movement, I would not be surprised if Dr. Szasz’s influence becomes greater in the next several years.
Certainly, all of us who work for individual liberty should be grateful for Dr. Thomas Szasz’s contributions to the cause of freedom.
Reason's article, which Ron inserted, is at the linK: http://www.cchrint.org/2012/12/22/tribute-to-thomas-szasz/