Wittgenstein Reads Freud

The Myth of the Unconscious

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Epistemology
Cover of the book Wittgenstein Reads Freud by Jacques Bouveresse, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jacques Bouveresse ISBN: 9781400821594
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: May 16, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Jacques Bouveresse
ISBN: 9781400821594
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: May 16, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Did Freud present a scientific hypothesis about the unconscious, as he always maintained and as many of his disciples keep repeating? This question has long prompted debates concerning the legitimacy and usefulness of psychoanalysis, and it is of utmost importance to Lacanian analysts, whose main project has been to stress Freud's scientific grounding. Here Jacques Bouveresse, a noted authority on Ludwig Wittgenstein, contributes to the debate by turning to this Austrian-born philosopher and contemporary of Freud for a candid assessment of the early issues surrounding psychoanalysis. Wittgenstein, who himself had delivered a devastating critique of traditional philosophy, sympathetically pondered Freud's claim to have produced a scientific theory in proposing a new model of the human psyche. What Wittgenstein recognized--and what Bouveresse so eloquently stresses for today's reader--is that psychoanalysis does not aim to produce a change limited to the intellect but rather seeks to provoke an authentic change of human attitudes. The beauty behind the theory of the unconscious for Wittgenstein is that it breaks away from scientific, causal explanations to offer new forms of thinking and speaking, or rather, a new mythology.

Offering a critical view of all the texts in which Wittgenstein mentions Freud, Bouveresse immerses us in the intellectual climate of Vienna in the early part of the twentieth century. Although we come to see why Wittgenstein did not view psychoanalysis as a science proper, we are nonetheless made to feel the philosopher's sense of wonder and respect for the cultural task Freud took on as he found new ways meaningfully to discuss human concerns. Intertwined in this story of Wittgenstein's grappling with the theory of the unconscious is the story of how he came to question the authority of science and of philosophy itself. While aiming primarily at the clarification of Wittgenstein's opinion of Freud, Bouveresse's book can be read as a challenge to the French psychoanalytic school of Lacan and as a provocative commentary on cultural authority.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Did Freud present a scientific hypothesis about the unconscious, as he always maintained and as many of his disciples keep repeating? This question has long prompted debates concerning the legitimacy and usefulness of psychoanalysis, and it is of utmost importance to Lacanian analysts, whose main project has been to stress Freud's scientific grounding. Here Jacques Bouveresse, a noted authority on Ludwig Wittgenstein, contributes to the debate by turning to this Austrian-born philosopher and contemporary of Freud for a candid assessment of the early issues surrounding psychoanalysis. Wittgenstein, who himself had delivered a devastating critique of traditional philosophy, sympathetically pondered Freud's claim to have produced a scientific theory in proposing a new model of the human psyche. What Wittgenstein recognized--and what Bouveresse so eloquently stresses for today's reader--is that psychoanalysis does not aim to produce a change limited to the intellect but rather seeks to provoke an authentic change of human attitudes. The beauty behind the theory of the unconscious for Wittgenstein is that it breaks away from scientific, causal explanations to offer new forms of thinking and speaking, or rather, a new mythology.

Offering a critical view of all the texts in which Wittgenstein mentions Freud, Bouveresse immerses us in the intellectual climate of Vienna in the early part of the twentieth century. Although we come to see why Wittgenstein did not view psychoanalysis as a science proper, we are nonetheless made to feel the philosopher's sense of wonder and respect for the cultural task Freud took on as he found new ways meaningfully to discuss human concerns. Intertwined in this story of Wittgenstein's grappling with the theory of the unconscious is the story of how he came to question the authority of science and of philosophy itself. While aiming primarily at the clarification of Wittgenstein's opinion of Freud, Bouveresse's book can be read as a challenge to the French psychoanalytic school of Lacan and as a provocative commentary on cultural authority.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Substance of Representation by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Classical Confucian Political Thought by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The Best Writing on Mathematics 2015 by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The Social Life of Money by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Digital Renaissance by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The I Ching by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The Virtues of Our Vices by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Moral Perception by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Line in the Sand by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Affluence and Influence by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book When People Come First by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Writings, XIII, Volume 13 by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The Strength in Numbers by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book American Misfits and the Making of Middle-Class Respectability by Jacques Bouveresse
Cover of the book The King's Two Bodies by Jacques Bouveresse
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy