Socrates Meets Freud: The Father of Philosophy Meets the Father of Psychology

Freud is no longer respected by most psychiatrists, scientists, or philosophers but still influences the public because of his terminology and his claim that most problems are caused by one's suppression of one's sexual desires. This book is the latest in a series of books where the famous philosopher Socrates asks a famous person questions about that person's most important book. This brings out key aspects and possible inconsistencies in that person's philosophy.At first Socrates has to carefully cajole Freud into a dialogue because Freud thinks "all reasoning is only rationalizing" and "reason is the servant of desire". But Socrates succeeds in luring Freud into a discussion of his last and most philosophical book, "Civilization and its Discontents". They discuss many things: religion, atheism, materialism, the pleasure principle, the "orgasm" standard, the reality principle, and the civilization paradox.Socrates, an agnostic, gets Freud to admit that neither atheism nor theism can be proved logically or scientifically, and neither can be conclusively refuted. Freud several times accuses Socrates of insulting him but continues to play the "logical game".Freud, a materialist and an atheist, offers six strategies to maximize happiness and minimize unhappiness. Five have been proposed by other philosophers and have flaws. But Freud is the first major philosopher to offer a sixth strategy. Socrates praises Freud because using this strategy is the logical conclusion for anyone who is both a materialist and an atheist and Freud is the first to see the full implications of those assumptions.Anyone who is interested in philosophy or psychology will enjoy this book. Of course, many readers would also enjoy any of the other books in this series such as " Socrates Meets Kant: The Father of Philosophy Meets His Most Influential Modern Child ".

Fascinating book. Loved it and gave it to a friend who loves it.

happy with kreeft's insights