To start with, Laing states that the basic purpose of this book is to make madness, and the process of going mad, comprehensible.
The full title is The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness. Okay, what’s the definition of existentialism? It’s a philosophical movement that stresses the individual’s unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for making meaningful, authentic choices in a universe seen as purposeless or irrational.
What did this all mean to Bowie? We do know that his brother was schizophrenic. And, we go into that in more detail in this episode.
Laing’s approach to understanding the schizophrenic is one of understanding a human being, who’s world is his reality, a reality just as valid as yours or ours. We agreed that if we were trying to understand a friend or family member who was schizophrenic, this would be the book to read.
That said, it is a lot to take in. So, if you’re reading along with the book club but haven’t completed the book yet, dive into the podcast anyway. It won’t spoil the book, and it just might give you another angle from which to view it. Maybe even one close to Bowie’s.
Bowie, Ep. 29 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark & What Makes One "The Crème de la Crème"
Bowie, Ep. 28 - On Having No Head by Douglas Harding & What If We Didn't Have An Eight Inch Ball
Bowie, Ep. 27 - Silence by John Cage & Why There Is Always Sound
Bowie, Ep. 26 - Strange People by Frank Edwards & Is "Freak" Really The Right Word?
Bowie, Ep. 24 - All The Emperor's Horses by David Kidd, aka Peking Story
Bowie, Ep. 23 - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse & Why Two Ways of Thinking Aren't Better Than One
Bowie, Ep. 22 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 2 & Why The Prince Is Really A Serval
Bowie, Ep. 21 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 1 & Why the Prince is Swoon-worthy
Bowie, Ep. 20 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 2 & Why Your Feelings About Sal and Dean Might Change Over Time
Bowie, Ep. 19 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 1 & Why Bowie Might Be A Dean
Bowie, Ep. 18 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 2 & Why We're Living in the 1950s
Bowie, Ep. 17 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 1 and Why We Are Johnny
Bowie, Ep. 16 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 2 & Why Our Way Isn't The Only Way
Bowie, Ep. 15 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 1 & Why We Should Talk To The Animals
Bowie, Ep. 14 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 2 & Why We Still Love Joe
Bowie, Ep. 13 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 1 & Why The Thin White Duke Is Everywhere
Bowie, Ep. 12 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 2 & Why We Think Bowie Was Not An Outsider
Bowie, Ep. 11 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 1 & Why This Book Is The Most Bowie Thus Far
Bowie, Ep. 10, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Part 2 & Why We Are No Longer Charmed
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