Sanity is a concept that cannot be defined unambiguously. It is clear that it is directly related to a he althy mind, to a reasonable approach to life, to rationality and adequacy. Whereas the lack of sanity is a serious obstacle in the path of life. Having lost it, a person can succumb to passions and break firewood. This article will discuss what sanity is. We will look at this from different points of view.
Word in dictionary
In the explanatory dictionary the following definition of sanity is given: it is a person's ability to rational thinking, sound reasoning. Here are examples of the use of the studied lexeme.
- It seemed to Alexander that going to a psychologist supported him in difficult times, helped him regain his lost sanity and not succumb to overtaking paranoia.
- I knew people who, even when paralyzed, not only keptsanity and good humor, but even consoled others.
- Ultimately, sanity prevailed, and the leaders of the rival clans worked out rules that served to reconcile them.
- How much sanity is a natural gift, and how much of it is developed under the influence of circumstances, no one can say with certainty.
- "Brothers, regain your sanity and stop succumbing to temptations, take care of your honest name and faith," the priest called on his parishioners, addressing them from the church pulpit.
- Oleg was about to stretch out his hand, intending to squeeze the girl's smooth shoulder, but a glimmer of sanity overtook him at the last moment. He still lowered his hand, forcing himself to move away.
Next, synonyms for the word under study will be considered.
Synonyms
Among them - such as:
- rationality;
- sobriety;
- common sense;
- prudence;
- prudence;
- realistic;
- prudence;
- sobriety;
- adequacy;
- sound mind;
- reasonableness;
- loy alty;
- mind;
- reason;
- practicality;
- fitness;
- justified;
- appropriate;
- care;
- deliberate;
- prudence;
- prudence;
- realistic;
- he alth;
- understanding;
- mind;
- practicalism;
- prudence;
- degree;
- thoroughness;
- dianoia;
- reasonableness;
- rationalism;
- intelligibility;
- smartness;
- meaningfulness.
The studied word consists of two others. The first is “sound”, the second is “thought”. Consider the meaning and origin of each.
Meaning of components
The word "he althy", according to the explanatory dictionary, is understood as:
- Meaningful, intelligent, reasonable.
- Deprecated meaning he althy.
In this case, the first of these interpretations is more suitable for understanding the term in question.
The dictionary says that the word "thought" has the following meanings.
- The process of processing information that occurs in the human brain.
- The result of a specified process, a formulation or an idea that arose as a result of mental activity.
- Intention, intention.
After examining each of them, we can come to the conclusion that they all fit into the interpretation of the studied lexeme.
Etymology
The adjective "he althy" comes from the Proto-Slavic sdorv, from which they also formed:
- Old Russian "sdorov";
- Old Church Slavonic "he alth";
- Ukrainian "he alth";
- Bulgarian "he althy";
- Serbo-Croatian "he alth";
- Slovenian zdràv;
- Czech and Slovak zdravý;
- Polishzdrowy;
Proto-Slavic sdorv goes back to the ancient Indian language, where su means “good” and dorvo means “from a good tree”. Compared to:
- Old Indian dāru meaning "log";
- Avestan dāru meaning "tree" and "log";
- Greek δόρυ, meaning "tree" and "spear";
- Gothic triu, which translates as "tree".
The noun "thought" is formed from the Old Russian "thought", from which originated:
- Old Church Slavonic "thought";
- Bulgarian "Misl";
- Serbo-Croatian "mȋsao";
- Slovenian mȋsǝl;
- Czech mysl;
- Slovak mysel;
- Polish myśl;
- Upper Luga and Lower Luga mysľ.
The word is also found in proper names, for example, such as Osmomysl, Peremysl, Dobromysl.
It is related to:
- Lithuanian verbs maudžiù - "to yearn" and "to yearn", as well as ãpmaudas, which means "annoyance";
- Gothic verb gamaudjan meaning "to remind" and noun ufarmaudei meaning "forgetfulness";
- to the ancient Greek noun Μῦθος, which means “speech”, to the verb ΜῦθέοΜαι, the meanings of which are “I speak”, “think”, “talk”;
- Middle Irish verb smūainim, meaning "I think";
- New Persian noun mōye, meaning complaint.
Next, we will consider a term that is actually equivalent to the one being studied, but is more often used in scientificliterature.
Common sense
Translated from Latin (sensus communis), this phrase sounds like "general feeling". This is a set of views on the surrounding reality, which includes views, skills, forms of thinking developed and used by a person in his daily life, in practical activities. This complex is shared by almost all people, its presence can be found in almost all people without the need to discuss it.
Philosophers have not ignored this concept. One of its meanings was proposed by Aristotle. He meant by it the ability of the soul, which allows different subjects to use the same general senses in order to perceive the general characteristics of physical objects.
These are, for example, characteristics such as movement and size. This property allows humans, like animals, to identify and distinguish between physical things. This understanding of sanity is different from the definition of sense perception, as well as from rational thinking, but has a connection with both of them.
Other interpretations
Another philosophical meaning of the concept under study is due to Roman influence. It is used to denote natural human sensitivity towards other people and society.
The term "common sense" was also used by the Scottish philosopher of the 18th century. Thomas Reed, and other representatives of the Scottish school. They designated to them those foundations, self-evident principles of reason, which, althoughare given empirically (in sensations), but are characteristic of all people. Therefore, they are considered as the basic sense of truth, present in the form of instinct.
In a science such as social psychology, this term refers to a system of generally accepted ideas about the real world, accumulated within the same culture by many generations.
Saneness is also understood as the ability to make the right decisions and deduce logical assumptions based on thinking and accumulated experience. In this interpretation, as a rule, emphasis is placed on the ability of the human mind to resist delusions, prejudices, and hoaxes. At the beginning of his treatise Discourse on Method, written in 1637, René Descartes states that reason or sanity is the faculty of right reasoning and of distinguishing between truth and falsehood.
Science general semantics
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning one of the books on psychology, in the title of which there is a word under study. It was written by Alfred Korzybski and is called Science and Sanity. The author is considered the founder of general semantics. Many psychiatrists, business leaders, and educators believe that laying it out in this book will help make our lives more intelligent.
General semantics deals with the consideration of a person as a whole, evaluates the relationship between facts and words and their influence on the nervous system. It shows how to re-educate a person so that he can better align his beliefs and behavior with reality.
