Leopold Gerstel Technion

Bertrand Russell on psychoanalysis

The Contemporary Dictionary of Man of Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), copy the entry for Psychoanalysis:

Psychoanalysis although undoubtedly has its excesses, and even its absurdities, has taught us many things true and valuable. There is the old adage that "if sent into nature with a pitchfork, portrays one anyway." but psychoanalysis has provided commentary on this text. Now we know that life carried over against the natural impulse will likely result in effects of stress, probably as bad as the surrender to the forbidden impulses. People who live an unnatural life is often filled with envy, malice and lack of charity.

is what you will think of psychoanalysis, there is a point which is undoubtedly correct, and the enormous importance given to emotional life. If emotional development is done well, character and intelligence develop spontaneously. Therefore, the science teacher must direct its attention primarily to the emotions.

For our purposes, the essential discovery of psychoanalysis is as follows: an impulse inhibited by objectivist methods, that does not find expression in action, not necessarily die, but it is underground and finds a new output is not inhibited by education. Often, the new output is more harmful than avoided, and in any case the abuse is emotional disturbances and energy costs without profit.

Psychoanalysis, as is known, is primarily a method to understand the hysteria and certain forms of insanity, but has discovered that many things in the lives of ordinary men have a humiliating resemblance to hallucinations of fools. The relationship of dreams, beliefs, irrational and foolish actions with unconscious wishes has been brought to light with some exaggeration, by Freud, Jung and his disciples. As to the nature of these unconscious wishes, I think, "but as profane talk shyly that many psychoanalysts have been narrow criterion, it is clear that there are wishes to stand, but others, for example, honors and power, are also operant and equally susceptible of concealment.

(From: DICTIONARY OF MODERN MAN, Volume Loose, Mexico, 2003)

Beyond moralizing tone passages and teaching (so characteristic, with few exceptions, psychoanalysis developed in the latitudes that inhabited our philosopher), it is curious that one of the leading exponents of modern logic is expressed of the work-Freudian psychoanalysis, in terms of "Natural impulses", "forbidden" or "emotional life" and you fail to notice what Jacques Lacan would highlight to his reading of Freud , namely the unconscious, rather than being a dark reservoir of repressed impulses, has a logic and structure that are peculiar, both inevitably linked to language. Also the words of Russell seem to resonate with those of other fiósofo, Theodor W. Adorno, for whom nothing in psychoanalysis was as true as his exaggerations. And yes, though this is not monopoly-analysis, exaggeration is one of the forms which truth-telling in their midst. But that certainly is not as logical.