Descent of Madness

<p>Drawing on evidence from across the behavioural and natural sciences this book advances a radical new hypothesis: that madness exists as a costly consequence of the evolution of a sophisticated social brain in Homo sapiens.</p><p>Having explained the rationale for an evolutionary approach to psychosis the author makes a case for psychotic illness in our living ape relatives as well as in human ancestors. He then reviews existing evolutionary theories of psychosis before introducing his own thesis: that the same genes causing madness are responsible for the evolution of our highly social brain. </p><p>Jonathan Burns’ novel Darwinian analysis of the importance of psychosis for human survival provides some meaning for this form of suffering. It also spurs us to a renewed commitment to changing our societies in a way that allows the mentally ill the opportunity of living. </p><p><em>The Descent of Madness</em> will be of interest to those in the fields of psychiatry psychology sociology and anthropology and is also accessible to the general reader.</p>