Wittgenstein Reads Freud

The Myth of the Unconscious

by Jacques Bouveresse

Through a critical analysis of all Wittgenstein's texts mentioning Freud, Bouveresse points to his complex and sympathetic appreciation of Freud and psychoanalytic culture. Wittgenstein recognized that psychoanalysis does not aim to produce a change limited to intellect, but rather seeks to provoke an authentic change in human attitudes.The beauty behind the theory of the unconscious is that it breaks away from scientific, causal explanations to offer new forms of thinking and speaking, or rather, a new mythology. Bouveresse's reading of Wittgenstein on Freud can also be read as a challenge to the Lacanian school and a commentary on the question of cultural authority in general.

Editions of Wittgenstein Reads Freud

	ISBN 9780691034256	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher Princeton Univ Pr	Date 1995	Price $7.50	Near Fine Binding
	ISBN 9780691029047	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Princeton Univ Pr	Date 1996	Price $14.95	Very Good

Publisher Notes

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.

Media Reviews

"'It will take a long time,' said Wittgenstein, 'before we lose our subservience' to Freudian psychoanalysis. By casting the philosopher's scattered reflections into the form of sustained and powerful critique, Jaques Bouveresse brings that day considerably nearer."

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