Posted by M. Lee on January 21, 2003, at 6:09:15
In reply to Re: 'A Beautiful Mind' anyone? » M. Lee, posted by syringachalet on January 19, 2003, at 15:28:13
Hi,
> I feel you were wise to be uncomfortable that the movie attempted to betray JN as "willed himself well".
>The movie portrays Nash's belief accurately. He really does think that he "willed" himself better.
Here's a couple of quotes from Nash's biography:
"Actually, it can be analogous to the role of willpower in effectively dieting: if one make an effort to 'rationalize' one's thinking then one can simply recognize and reject the irrational hypotheses of delusional thinking."
[Nash's son has been diagnosed with the same illness.]
"I don't think of my son ... as entirely a sufferer. In part, he is simply _choosing_ to escape from 'the world.'"
[The emphasis on _choosing_ is Nash's]
So, the willpower theme is not due to Hollywood embelishing the story.
I'm still uncomfortable with the idea. But, I blame Nash, not the film makers.
poster:M. Lee
thread:34562
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/35604.html