Wittgenstein Reads Freud

by Bouveresse, Jacques

• ISBN13: 9780691034256
• ISBN10: 0691034257
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1995-06-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Jacques Bouveresse is Professor of Philosophy at the College de France.

Table of Contents

Foreword: By Vincent Descombes	p. vii
Preface	p. xvii
Wittgenstein Reads Freud	p. 2
Wittgenstein: Disciple of Freud?	p. 3
The Problem of the Reality of the Unconscious	p. 22
The "generalizing Impulse," or the Philosopher in Spite of Himself	p. 42
Reasons and Causes	p. 69
The Mechanics of the Mind	p. 83
The "principle of Insufficient Reason" and the Right to Nonsense	p. 97
The "message" of the Dream	p. 109
Conclusion	p. 122
Notes	p. 127
Bibliography	p. 133
Index	p. 139
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