Read more
Freud's Philosophy of the Unconscious is the only comprehensive, systematic study of Sigmund Freud's philosophy of mind. Freud emerges as a sophisticated philosopher who addresses many of the central questions that concern contemporary philosophers and cognitive scientists while anticipating many of their views. While still a student in Vienna, Freud was initiated into philosophy by Franz Brentano. The book charts Freud's intellectual development as he deals with the mind-body problem, the nature of consciousness, folk psychology versus scientific psychology, the relationship between language and thought, realism and antirealism in psychology, and the nature of unconscious mental events.
The book also critically examines writings on Freud by Wittgenstein, Davidson, and Searle, demonstrating their weakness as interpretations and criticisms of Freud's position.
Readership: Philosophers, cognitive scientists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.
List of contents
Introduction: Freud and Philosophy.- 1: Freud's Contact with Brentano.- 2: Freud, Lipps and Nietzsche.- 3: Freud and the Mind-Body Problem.- 4: Other Views of Freud's Position on the Mind-Body Problem.- 5: The Unconscious.- 6: Justification: The Continuity Argument.- 7: Freud and Jackson: Dualism and Anti-Localizationism.- 8: Freud's Theory of Consciousness.- 9: Animism, Realism and Anti-Realism.- 10: Freudian Functionalism.- 11: Characteristics of Unconscious Thinking.- 12: Wittgenstein and MacIntyre: The Unconscious as Façon de Parler.- 13: John Searle: The Dispositional Unconscious.- 14: Freud versus Searle.- 15: Donald Davidson: The Rational Unconscious.- 16: Freud versus Davidson.- 17: Conclusions.- Notes.- References.
