Adam Blatner

Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner

J. L. Moreno, M.D.—Some Thoughts

Originally posted on January 18, 2018

Next year they’re running an article on Daimon, a literary journal Moreno edited a century ago. Moreno was a multi-dimensional genius, with ideas branching into philosophy as well as medicine; sociology as well as history; and so forth. He needs to be recognized as reaching well beyond his field of medicine and the remedying of disease. Moreno spoke to the “further reaches of human nature,” speaking of what some author said of humanistic psychology.

We should seek to appreciate these other non-therapeutic facets of Moreno’s personality! (Some of us, too, have multiple facets other than our professions.) Moreno was able to theorize about theatre and the creative arts in general, for example. He addressed philosophical as well as therapeutic dimensions. Moreno saw how some of these elements could be sublimated, made use of, in if not therapy, then personal development.

I wrote about Moreno in my book—now out of print—and I shall endeavor to post these articles online for the benefit of everyone. Moreno also had his faults. The point I’m making in this posting is that people may be known and even famous for some of their achievements but not always the ones they want to be remembered for. For example, Shakespeare’s writing Marc Antony’s funeral oration for Caesar speech in the play, Julius Caesar—this speech is a master of oratory, sarcasm, and propaganda; “The evil men do lives after them; the good if oft interred with their bones.” (It could easily be said that the good men do lives after them and the evil is oft interred with their bones. Reputation and history are funny that way.)


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