I was going to ask for peoples thoughts on the impact of illness on philosophy but then I found this quote that I agree with. — Andrew4Handel

Some question! It seems to me useful to distinguish between sickness and illness, sickness being that which incapacitates with respect to most thinking. And illness itself being on a continuum of disaccommodation that intersects sickness at one end, and ranges at the other end to just inconvenience. And then there is the distinction between mental illness and physical illness.

I'll try a metaphor. Mental and physical well-being as a state of being akin to the surface of an ocean upon which the being him- or herself sails. When calm, no end of beliefs may form as to "understandings" of that ocean and how best to sail and navigate on it. Storms on this ocean, on the other hand, as easily as real storms on real oceans rend sails and dismast real sailboats, and sink them, can tear facile "understandings" to pieces, no matter how sound they may seem in harbour or in calm. Mind, however, can stand as a bit of rock above the surface of this ocean, maybe with a light on it, that can withstand - with some luck and great construction - most storms. I have in mind the famous picture of a French lighthouse about to be engulfed in a storm wave, with a man standing in an open doorway at the base of it.

In short, it seems to me that prevailing over illness, beyond mere physical recovery, is a matter of mind and as well a matter of being lucky enough to be able to use it in the face of the illness. For sheer strength of mind, there is Charles Frohman's quote as he was about to die, sinking on the Lusitania: "Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure that life gives us."

For positive effects, apart from instilling urgency, it seems to me that some manias drive some people to write and publish, and some of that is found worthwhile. But the worth, the value, of the thinking must be apart from the illness, and the illness a high price to pay for it.

It leaves the question as to whether mania - madness - itself can produce anything of real worth. At the moment it seems to me that can only be in a negative sense, the words and pictures - the works - produced by madness being ultimately a kind of accident, and of only incidental or accidental value.

Over the past year I was struck by a physical illness of unknown cause that then caused severe mental disturbance (anxiety and dread) that coincided with the pre-planned (for years) rewriting of my philosophy book, and had a major impact on the last chapter of it (on the meaning of life) which I hadn’t even planned to write until shortly before all of that happened and barely had any material for, but is now the longest chapter in the book.

If you have not, I recommend a close reading - or a closer reading than most folks give - of John Donne's Meditation #17, easily found online. This of the "No man is an island" thought. It's just two paragraphs, though with Donne that's more than enough to be "undone" by Donne. The idea in broadest terms is that adversity carries within it a seed - or even an entire shrub - of benefit, if only that can be "dug" out.

To me illness (which I am currently experiencing) reminds me that I have a body and that body is fallible and finite. I have to try and cope with this finitude. I am not sure how finitude squares with beliefs looking for eternal truths.

It’s true that disease, illness and pain are keen reminders of our mortality, but to push it a little further, they should remind you that you are a body, as fragile as you are finite.

Well-being is a concept
by which we measure our
ill-being

No doubt Gautama or Epicurus or Spinoza or ... would agree.

To me illness (which I am currently experiencing) reminds me that I have a body and that body is fallible and finite. I have to try and cope with this finitude. — Andrew4Handel

:death: Memento mori, memento vivare. :flower:

I am not sure how finitude squares with beliefs looking for eternal truths — Andrew4Handel

Amor fati.

It’s true that disease, illness and pain are keen reminders of our mortality, but to push it a little further, they should remind you that you are a body, as fragile as you are finite. — NOS4A2

I am not sure whether I am just a body or a body and a mind. But physical illness does make the body dominate the mind.

Ironically though strong bodily sensations are strong mental sensations. For example you can have a leg cut of under anesthetic and feel nothing. You have to be conscious to be aware of a body.

But if all we are is a finite body then what is the point of philosophy If we can't transcend our body and finitude? Questions will end temporally.

I think knowledge and concepts are mental representations not external things. Symbolic? So I think they must die with us if our mind dies with our body and we can no longer symbolise reality.

It leaves the question as to whether mania - madness - itself can produce anything of real worth. At the moment it seems to me that can only be in a negative sense, the words and pictures - the works - produced by madness being ultimately a kind of accident, and of only incidental or accidental value. — tim wood

The role of illness in creativity is hard to assess. Most people experience some illness and adversity in their life. How can we prove or disprove that it was influential in their creativity?

When thing that illness disease and hardship creates is innovation to overcome these things. I don't know how much academia/philosophy/science/art etc would exist if we were content all the time?

I have not come across a cure for depression and similar conditions that suggests we should think more in depths as opposed to things like altering thoughts, mindfulness meditation and looking for positives/CBT.

I am going to look into the work of Havi Carel more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havi_Carel

I found out she has an incurable but slow acting illness that influenced her choice of philosophy topic.

But there are lots of different illnesses and also disabilities some of which are illnesses that give people different perceptions of reality.

Cognitive neuroscience has been heavily based on neurological disorders, brain lesions and brain injures. Disorder and absence can show what constitutes normality.

Cognitive neuroscience has been heavily based on neurological disorders, brain lesions and brain injures. Disorder and absence can show what constitutes normality. — Andrew4Handel

Imagine a computer science based on what happens when you hit the buggers with a hammer...

That is not how it works. A person with brain problems can provide feedback whilst in that state.