Changed Quote by Thomas Szasz
“As the dominant social ethic changed from a religious to a secular one, the problem of heresy disappeared, and the problem of madness arose and became of great social significance. In the next chapter I shall examine the creation of social deviants, and shall show that as formerly priests had manufactured heretics, so physicians, as the new guardians of social conduct and morality, began to manufacture madmen.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Myth of Mental Illness, Thomas Szasz, 1961
Societal control shifted from religious heresy to medical labeling of madness, creating new deviance.
In simple terms: Medical institutions now label deviant behavior as madness.
Key Takeaway
Question how society defines normalcy.
Themes
societal control
medical authority
deviance
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- healthcare policy
- education
- law
- public discourse
Key Concepts
sociology
psychiatry
Questions to Reflect On
- Who decides what is "mad"?
- What are alternatives to medical labeling?
A Different Perspective
Stigmatization may oversimplify complex issues.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
