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percy-l - Re: [percy-l] Kramer's new book

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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

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  • From: Robert Eckert <rgeckert AT yahoo.com>
  • To: J Rivas-Pita <juliorivas AT gmail.com>, "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] Kramer's new book
  • Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 12:26:50 -0700 (PDT)

It is from "Is a Theory of Man Possible" which is in _Signposts in a Strange Land_. I
 
Kramer is a formidable writer who has pushed me some toward scientism. It is well that one such as he takes on depression. He also has an admirable way of questioning his own conclusions. I just wish he did Percy's nonfiction more justice.
 
Years ago I worked on a psychiatric treatment team in a residential treatment facility and acquired a deep distrust of those who use psychotropic meds. Of course a kid is going to "behave" better if you drug them into a zombie state, which was common and is only more common throughout that field today. But, if the alternative is restraints then the lesser evil is not hard to pick.
 
Reordering the environment to be less disturbing is no easy task, if not impossible. [Disturbed people come from disturbing environments]. But, the move now to introduce Prozac into third world countries is frightening--Soma, anyone?


J Rivas-Pita <juliorivas AT gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Robert,

In case you could spare a few minutes, could you tell us something
more on the last quote from Percy, "I can even visualize..."? Is the
essay (or interview) it comes from available online?

Many thanks and all best wishes,

Julio

On 6/24/05, Robert Eckert wrote:
>
> Dear List,
>
> Peter Kramer, the author of _Listening to Prozac_, recently published
> _Against Depression_.
>
> The last chapter of _LP_ is "The Message in the Capsule" and deal
> extensively with Percy. Kramer corresponded with Percy at some point.
>
> However, to me he gets Percy quite wrong.
>
> On p.265 of _AG_ Kramer writes:
>
> "...Percy's position blurs distinctions we might want to make. It overstates
> the case only slightly to say that for Percy, there is no difference between
> treating epilepsy and treating
> alienation. Both are best approached via faith and revelation, not
> technology."
>
> It amazes me that Kramer could have read Percy's nonfiction, which he states
> he has (e-mail), and miss Percy's use of the Dyadic/Triadic distinction,
> especially:
>
> "I can even visualize the hospital of the future in which the first signs
> the patient sees in the corridor do not read INTERNAL MEDICINE, SURGERY,
> OB-GYN, DERMATOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY UPSTAIRS, but rather two big signs just
> inside the front door, one pointing left, one right (I won't say which is
> which), but one reading DYADIC DISORDERS; the other, TRIADIC DISORDERS."
>
> To Percy, the distinction is so profound that he feels the very architecture
> of the hospitals of the future could be based upon it!
>
> It is a shame that Kramer has broadly disseminated such a profound and
> fundamental misreading of Percy's work.
>
> Robert Eckert
> Rochester, New York
>
>
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> --
> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
>
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>
>
>


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