Politics of Experience
by R. D. Laing · first published 1971
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The Politics of Experience and The Bird of Paradise is a 1967 book by the Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing. The book comprises two parts - the first a collection of seven articles previously published between 1962 and 1965; the second a free-flowing quasi-autobiographical piece of poetry and prose.
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Reading RD Laing was an important experience for me. I recommend the Divided Self, the Politics of Experience, and The Politics of the Family for others trying to work through their low points. If you want a sense of what the guy was like, here's a short 3 min video titled "Forgetting Depression": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKOxp2q2lss…
on “Breakdown Palace: R.D. Laing’s radical asylum” ↗The Divided Self + The Politics of Experience and the Bird of Paradise + The Politics of the Family - all by RD Laing Civilization and its Discontents - Freud Capitalist Realism - Mark Fisher Gateless Gate - Mu-men? Very old Chinese mystical text…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” ↗…down even if it also takes Ed Witten and Steven Hawking down a notch. The literature on the "connection between genius and madness" is fraught and close to dangerous and crackpot writings such as The Politics of Experience (e.g. dangerous because it's part of the story why some crazy guy on the subway doesn't get help and might push you into the tracks) but there is one good book on it [2] I don't think madness leads to…
on “Can AI detect brilliance instead of just toxicity?” ↗