Michael Perelman wrote:
I don't think that craziness is relevant to the evaluation of a person. I would not change my mind about Bush if someone convinced me that he were mentally unbalanced or if he were healthy. At the same time, I think that mental states are relevant in forgiving people.
I explicitly said earlier:
to treat money-making or "goods" in the utility function sense as the end of life is itself a mistake, a mistake expressing the same psychopathology as the unrealistic means adopted in their pursuit.
This last point explains why the idea of willing as psychopathological is inconsistent with the idea of it as "evil." Individuals doing bad things are mistaken about what they ought to be doing, not evil.
Why, in your judgment, are believers in Rapture supporting Bush's policies in the Middle East?
Psychopathology is relevant to understanding thought and action as in Marx's explanation of the coup d'etat of Napoleon III in terms of the prejudice and superstition of French peasants.
Braverman cites a study of Taylor's psychopathology by S. Kakar: Frederick Taylor: a study in personality and innovation.
I pointed to an online survey essay by Robert Young that indicates how a particular approach to psychopathology can be used to explain organizational structures and practices.
Ted
