Anonymous asked this question on 4/17/2000:

What is the definition of sanity? Can you recognize insanity in other people,if it isn't obvious?

Desertphile gave this response on 4/21/2000:

It is a quality of soundness of "mind." One can also describe it as "soundness of judgment or reason." This is often culturally determined: that is why psychiatrists and psychologists speak of sanity and mental illness and not sanity and "insanity." While there are well-demarcated mental illnesses, "insanity" is not well-defined.

Just as "sanity" can be culturally defined, so can the lack of sanity. It is a question of character and temperament, and how an individual successfully interacts with herself and her community.

One therefore speaks of "sanity" when discussing the psyche, and "pathology" when discussing mental illness.

The average rating for this answer is 2.6.

Anonymous rated this answer a 1.

Martin, Apparently you dislike women as much as scientologists.