philosophy
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Wittgenstein and Freud: Overrated or Undervalued?
Ludwig Wittgenstein and Sigmund Freud have a lot in common. Both were Viennese gurus, who inspired groups of disciples to preach their world-changing revelations to a sceptical world. Both were forthright in putting forward their views, but believed they were offering therapy for which the recipient would ultimately be grateful. Both reached the high point Continue reading
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How is that we can speak about and share our “indescribable” feelings?
Sometimes we find it difficult to express our feelings. They seem almost impossible to put into words. “I cannot describe it to you, you would need to experience it yourself”. But perhaps we should try harder. To some extent, saying you cannot describe your experience is a cop out. Generally, there are lots of things Continue reading
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Putting Love at the Heart of Psychoanalysis: Suttie’s Critique of Freud
Ian Dishart Suttie was a Scottish psychoanalyst who died in 1935, shortly after completing a powerful critique of Freud, entitled The Origins of Love and Hate. Whereas Freud presents the individual as caught between a hostile external world and a maelstrom of internal excitations, Suttie claims that we are born with a need for love Continue reading
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Is Science Providing Evidence for Freud’s Concept of the Unconscious?
In the face of attacks on the validity of psychoanalysis, it is tempting to argue that science and especially neurology is providing empirical evidence that Freud was right. Scientific evidence for unconscious processes includes research demonstrating that individuals process information, make decisions, and change their behaviour based on stimuli that are below conscious awareness. For Continue reading
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How will we know when the Singularity occurs?
Elon Musk has predicted that the Singularity – the moment when computers become more intelligent than humans – could occur as soon as 2029. But how will we know that this has happened? What would make us conclude that computers had surpassed us? There is no doubt that they can do lots of things better Continue reading
Wittgenstein and Freud 