Freud (The Routledge Philosophers) - Softcover

Lear, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415314518 ISBN 13: 9780415314510

Publisher: Routledge, 2005

Synopsis

Jonathan Lear clearly introduces and assesses all of Freud's thought, focusing on those areas of philosophy on which Freud is acknowledged to have had a lasting impact. These include the philosophy of mind, free will and determinism, rationality, the nature of the self and subjectivity, and ethics and religion. He also considers some of the deeper issues and problems Freud engaged with, brilliantly illustrating their philosophical significance: human sexuality, the unconscious, dreams, and the theory of transference.

Freud is one of the most important introductions and contributions to understanding this great thinker to have been published for many years, and will be essential reading for anyone in the humanities, social sciences and beyond with an interest in Freud or philosophy.

About this title

About the Author

Jonathan Lear is the John U Nef Distinguished Service Professor at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several acclaimed books on philosophy and psychoanalysis, including Aristotle: The Desire to Understand; Love and Its Place in Nature; Open Minded; and Happiness, Death and the Remainder of Life. His most recent book is Therapeutic Action: An Earnest Plea for Irony.

Review

"Jonathan Lear is one of the most subtle and original thinkers in psychoanalysis. So a book by him simply called Freud should attract everyone is at all psychoanalytically minded. They will not be disappointed. This is simply the best introduction to Freud I know." - Marcia Cavell, The International Journal of Pyschoanalysis

"Lear does very well to explain a fundamental modification in Freud's clinical work...this is definitely worthwhile for anyone wanting a serious briefing on the undoubted accomplishment on classical Freudian pschoanalysis." - Joseph Schwartz, New Humanist

"This is a lucid exegesis of Freud's conception of the mind, and a satisfying demonstration of its enduring value. Freud's loudest detractors often seem simply incapable of understanding him; they will no longer have that excuse." - Mark Solms, University of Cape Town, South Africa and International Neuro-Psychoanalysis Centre, London, UK

"First rate - Lear captures the wider philosophical importance of Freud: how he makes us rethink our conceptions of ourselves as human beings, and the implications of this for morality and religion. A superb volume, and a terrific addition to the series." - John Cottingham, University of Reading, UK

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0415314518
• ISBN 13: 9780415314510
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296