Mind, Modernity, Madness
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
Mind, Modernity, Madness
| Full title | Mind, Modernity, Madness: The Impact of Culture on Human Experience |
|---|---|
| Author | Liah Greenfeld |
| Published | 2013 |
| Pages | 688 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | The third volume of Greenfeld’s study of nationalism, arguing that schizophrenia and manic depression became common in the modern era for a cultural reason: a society that tells each person to choose his own identity imposes a burden some minds cannot carry. |
Mind, Modernity, Madness
Where I heard about it
- Brendan McCord — on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, March 2026, in the Capitalism, Morality, and Culture section, which asks what a market society does to the people inside it — Greenfeld’s answer is its most uncomfortable. Full transcription: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.
About this edition
She works through comparative epidemiology and historical evidence to argue that the disorders track the spread of that expectation rather than anything biological. McCord’s list prints the title as “Mind, Modernity, and Madness.”
Connections
- Culture — the causal variable in Greenfeld’s account.
- Capitalism — the modern order whose psychological cost is the subject.
- The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this came from.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.