Age of reason Quote by Roy Porter
““Not least, the asylum idea reflected the long-term cultural shift from religion to scientific secularism. In traditional Christendom, it was the distinction between believers and heretics, saints and sinners, which had been crucial—that between the sane and the crazy had counted for little. This changed, and the great divide, since the ‘age of reason’, became that between the rational and the rest, demarcated and enforced at bottom by the asylum walls. The keys of St Peter had been replaced by the keys of psychiatry.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity, Roy Porter, 1997
The quote describes how the Enlightenment shifted societal boundaries from religious moral categories to a rational‑scientific division, with asylums embodying the new control over mental deviation.
In simple terms: Religion gave way to science, and asylums marked the rational‑vs‑irrational divide.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how definitions of normality are socially constructed.
Themes
history
science
psychiatry
secularism
power
identity
Mood
reflective
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
sociological
When to use this quote
- historical analysis
- policy review
- mental health advocacy
Key Concepts
social control
medicalization
institutionalization
rationality
stigma
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern institutions continue to enforce rationality?
- What alternatives exist to labeling mental difference as abnormal?
A Different Perspective
The rational/irrational split can overlook cultural diversity and individual experience.
