The Last Interview of Thomas Szasz, is a simple, hourlong interview by Philip Singer, which he calls a “documentary”. In reality, it is a podcast-style interview interrupted by a few quotes overlaid on the screen. There isn’t much value here because Singer appears to not understand much of Szasz’s main arguments.
Singer does not attempt to understand Szasz on his own terms. When we encounter other people’s views that are different from our own, we must first seek to understand what they are saying – on their own terms. We must seek to understand before trying to point out another person’s flawed thinking. The only redeeming quality of the video is to see how sharp Szasz was even at the age of ninety!
Singer seems to think that much about psychiatry has changed since Szasz first wrote The Myth of Mental Illness. Szasz points out that nothing has changed. Psychiatry still uses mendacious metaphors to obscure problems in living.
Aaron Olson 