Freud's late essay argues that civilisation is built on the renunciation of instinct. To live together in society, people must give up part of their drive toward sex and aggression. That repression produces a lasting feeling of guilt, which he calls the sense of guilt, planted by the superego. He discusses religion as an illusion, the search for happiness, the commandment to love one's neighbour as oneself, and the struggle between Eros and the death drive. Freud sees the conflict between individual and society as one that cannot be fully solved.
It is a short, dense text for readers interested in psychoanalysis, political theory and the roots of modern discontent. What you carry off is a tragic, pessimistic account of the price we pay for living with others.
Deep, contemplative and open-ended; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1930
- Publisher
- Internationaler Psychoanalytischer Verlag
- Language
- DE
