Genius and Madness

Cesare Lombroso – the greatest Italian positivist philosopher, psychiatrist, and professor of forensic medicine. The central theme of his main work Genius and Madness was the idea of the born criminal. Lombroso believed that crimes are committed by people with a set of certain external characteristics and psychological traits. As the originator of the original concept of creativity as a combination of pathological states, Lombroso explained inspiration as irrational use of mental energy, which generates original results and fosters the progress of culture. His ideas and scientific research had a significant impact on the development of such sciences as criminology, the psychopathology of creativity, and positivist anthropology. All texts are provided with detailed comments and explanations by RGGU professor A.V. Markov.