Single Idea 22760

[catalogued under 13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 3. Reliabilism / a. Reliable knowledge]

Full Idea

The madman is a trustworthy criterion of the appearances which occur in madness.

Gist of Idea

Madmen are reliable reporters of what appears to them

Source

Sextus Empiricus (Against the Logicians (two books) [c.180], I.062)

Book Reference

Sextus Empiricus: 'Against the Logicians', ed/tr. Bury,R.G. [Harvard Loeb 1997], p.33


A Reaction

It is hard to conceive of an genuinely insane person deliberately misreporting their hallucinations. They are, of course, the sole witness.