Elisabetta Lalumera

22 Nov 23 10-12 Online lecture "Why Delusions Matter", prof. Lisa Bortolotti (Birmingham)

When we talk about delusions we may refer to symptoms of mental health problems, such as clinical delusions in schizophrenia, or simply the beliefs that people cling to which are implausible and resistant to counterevidence; these can include anything from beliefs about the benefits of homeopathy to concerns about the threat of alien abduction.

Prof. Lisa Bortolotti explains what delusions really are and argues that, despite their negative reputation, they can also play a positive role in people's lives, imposing some meaning on adverse experiences and strengthening personal or social identities.

Lisa Bortolotti is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham (UK). She works in the philosophy of psychology and psychiatry. She is the author of Delusions and Other Irrational Beliefs (2009), which was awarded the American Philosophical Association Biannual Book Prize, Irrationality (2014) and The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs (2020). She is also editor-in-chief of Philosophical Psychiatry.

Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d2bcbdb8-d8bf-4a1a-8712-c569a31b897b@e99647dc-1b08-454a-bf8c-699181b389ab

Published on: November 18 2023