Sam Wilkinson – författare

The Social Roots of Delusions argues that human sociality is essential for understanding what delusions are and how they form.Humans are cooperative and cultural animals, radically dependent on others for survival and for the knowledge we use to navigate our world. That world includes complex systems of norms, reputation, gossip, surveillance, and partner choice, along with high-stakes competition for prestige and power among individuals and shifting coalitions.Against this background, Williams, Wilkinson, and Miyazono offer a social account of delusions in two senses. First, they rethink what it means to be delusional by situating delusion attribution within norm-governed practices of epistemic gatekeeping. In this context, calling a belief delusional expresses bafflement and marks its adherents as "rational lost causes", people who seem unreachable by ordinary communication, persuasion, and argument.Second, they show how social forces help produce and sustain delusions, including both clinical delusions and collective delusions. Popular delusions arise from socially motivated cognition interacting with complex social practices that reward conformity, supply rationalisations, and shield groups from counterevidence. Clinical delusions, by contrast, are often maintained when isolation and mistrust cut people off from the shared knowledge and corrective testimony that ordinarily stabilise belief. Drawing on philosophy, cognitive science, and psychiatry, the book connects individual psychopathology with collective irrationality through a single social lens.

Sam Wilkinson provides an accessible introduction to the reign of Caligula, one of the most controversial of all the Roman Emperors. Caligula's policies have often been interpreted to be those of a depraved tyrant.This study provides a reassessment of this controversial reign by scrutinising the ancient literary sources that are so hostile to Caligula, and by examining the reasoning behind the policies he enforced. Key topics discussed include:* Caligula's early life and accession to power* Caligula's relationship with the Senate* how far Caligula's domestic and foreign policies can be judged to be a success* why Caligula was assassinated in AD 41, only four years after his accession to power.With a guide to primary and secondary sources, a chronology and a detailed glossary, Caligula is an invaluable study of the reign of this fascinating Emperor.

Sam Wilkinson provides an accessible introduction to the reign of Caligula, one of the most controversial of all the Roman Emperors. Caligula's policies have often been interpreted to be those of a depraved tyrant.This study provides a reassessment of this controversial reign by scrutinising the ancient literary sources that are so hostile to Caligula, and by examining the reasoning behind the policies he enforced. Key topics discussed include:* Caligula's early life and accession to power* Caligula's relationship with the Senate* how far Caligula's domestic and foreign policies can be judged to be a success* why Caligula was assassinated in AD 41, only four years after his accession to power.With a guide to primary and secondary sources, a chronology and a detailed glossary, Caligula is an invaluable study of the reign of this fascinating Emperor.

This is the first introductory textbook of its kind devoted to philosophy of psychiatry, offering a thorough and accessible investigation of the conceptual and philosophical problems at the heart of psychiatric practice and research. While it applies some of the long-standing concerns of philosophy to the mental health professions, it also investigates philosophical problems and issues that have arisen more recently from careful examination of psychiatric phenomena. Divided into two parts, Philosophy of Psychiatric Practice and Research and Philosophy and Psychopathology, the book’s 12 chapters cover topics like the ontological status of mental illness, philosophical issues in diagnosis, the role of culture in psychiatry and the relationship between mental illness and personal identity, as well as explore foundational problems in studying well-known psychopathologies like schizophrenia, depression and addiction. All chapters include initial overviews and concluding summaries and a list of suggested readings. Key Features Two-part structure – divided between (1) philosophy of psychiatric practice and research, and (2) philosophy and psychopathology – presents a clear, yet distinctive picture of the field Offers a unified style and vision throughout, with easy-to-follow segues from chapter to chapter Pedagogical features include chapter overviews and summaries, discussion questions and sections for further reading

This is the first introductory textbook of its kind devoted to philosophy of psychiatry, offering a thorough and accessible investigation of the conceptual and philosophical problems at the heart of psychiatric practice and research. While it applies some of the long-standing concerns of philosophy to the mental health professions, it also investigates philosophical problems and issues that have arisen more recently from careful examination of psychiatric phenomena. Divided into two parts, Philosophy of Psychiatric Practice and Research and Philosophy and Psychopathology, the book’s 12 chapters cover topics like the ontological status of mental illness, philosophical issues in diagnosis, the role of culture in psychiatry and the relationship between mental illness and personal identity, as well as explore foundational problems in studying well-known psychopathologies like schizophrenia, depression and addiction. All chapters include initial overviews and concluding summaries and a list of suggested readings. Key Features Two-part structure – divided between (1) philosophy of psychiatric practice and research, and (2) philosophy and psychopathology – presents a clear, yet distinctive picture of the field Offers a unified style and vision throughout, with easy-to-follow segues from chapter to chapter Pedagogical features include chapter overviews and summaries, discussion questions and sections for further reading