Given that the subject of our Freud episode was Civilization and its Discontents, we were pretty quick regarding Freud's specific points on religion, which are pretty interesting in themselves, in that his view is for practical purposes very much in line with the modern scientism of someone like Dawkins but acknowledges elements of Kantian agnosticism. For a refresher, here's a Continue Reading …
“Working Notes” Blog on the Epistemology of Freudian Drives
Mike Johnduff, a Princeton grad student in English whose "Working Notes" blog includes a number of interesting short essays on figures in Continental philosophy (e.g. Heidegger, Marx, Foucault, etc.), has written several pieces on Freud, including this article what we can know of psychological drives according to Freud. He states: Though drives are determined by that Continue Reading …
Jane McAdam Freud: Art and the Good Life
Here's a short interview with the granddaughter of Sigmund Freud talking about the goals of her art: Watch on youtube. What's the good life, according to Ms. McAdam Freud? Be your own boss. Have friends, love your life. Finally, lead an analyzed life, and she does this through art. Continue Reading …
Freud vs. C.S. Lewis: A Roundtable on Religion and Morality
Here we see guys in goofy Lewis and Freud costumes putting forward simplistic alternative views on the origin of moral sentiments to set up a round-table discussion: http://youtu.be/ymjuxVPBZYc The discussion interestingly displays no evidence of these folks having read Freud's discussion of morality in Civilization and its Discontents, specifically his claim that Continue Reading …
Slavoj Zizek on Applying Psychotherapy to Culture
Here is a somewhat startling video of Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek talking briefly about trying to apply the insights of psychotherapy (which deals with individuals) to cultures: Watch on youtube. His remarks about being able to relate an "anonymous social field" reflect Heidegger's conception of "Das Man," i.e. our tendency to conform to social norms, seeing Continue Reading …
Mad Men on the Death Drive
A bit of thoughtful pop culture to kick off our Freud blog deliberations: In what I believe was the pilot episode of Mad Men, the 1950s advertising professionals that are the show's main characters are thinking about how to do a campaign for a cigarette company now that it was becoming common knowledge that smoking causes cancer. The company's researcher pulled out Freud's Continue Reading …
Episode 26: Freud on the Human Condition (Citizens Only)
Discussing Civilization and its Discontents (1930). For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here). What's the meaning of life? Well, for Sigmund Freud, an objective purpose rises or falls with religion, which he thinks a matter of clinging to illusion, so to rephrase: what do we want out of life? To be happy, of course, yet he sees happiness as a matter of fulfillment of Continue Reading …
PREVIEW-Episode 26: Freud on the Human Condition
This is a 32-minute preview of a 2 hr, 5-minute episode." Buy Now Purchase this episode for $2.99. Or become a PEL Citizen for $5 a month, and get access to this and all other paywalled episodes, including 68 back catalogue episodes; exclusive Part 2's for episodes published after September, 2020; and our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat Continue Reading …