Sigmund Freud

Caution. This article/definition is in draft form and at this time may constitute no more than rough notes, reminders for required content, or absolutely nothing at all. Content is subject to revision.

Who was he? What did he write about.

Notes

Civilization

• Consists of
  • technology and knowledge to extract and control distribution of human wealth
  • regulations "necessary in order to adjust the relations of men to one another and especially the distribution of the available wealth.
• Basically about maintaining inequality."Thus civilization has to be defended against the individual, and its regulations, institu­tions and commands are directed to that task. They aim not only at effecting a certain distribution of wealth but at main­taining that distribution; indeed, they have to protect every­ thing that contributes to the conquest of nature and the production of wealth against men's hostile impulses."
• Freud recognizes the class nature of "civilization." "One thus gets an impression that civilization is something which was imposed on a resisting majority by a minority which understood how to obtain possession of the means to power and coercion."
• Note that Freud conflates "civilization" with European capitalism.
• Freud recognizes that Capitalism is based on "coercion and renunciation" and suggest the possibility of a "golden age" where coercion and renunciation would not be required, but suggests it is impossible and blames "the victim" (the masses) for having instincts too powerful to control. As he says, "One has, I think, to reckon with the fact that there are present in all men destructive, and therefore anti-social and anti­ cultural, trends and that in a great number of people these are strong enough to determine their behaviour in human society." Note this is a secularized version of the Good versus Evil archetype used by elites to manipulate and control "the masses."
• Elitist apologist. Freud suggests that control of the masses by a minority is inevitable. "It is just as impossible to do without control of the mass by a minority as it is to dispense with coercion in the work of civilization. For masses are lazy and unintelligent; they have no love for instinctual renunciation, and they are not to be convinced by argument of its inevitability; and the indi­viduals composing them support one another in giving free rein to their indiscipline. It is only through the influence of individuals who can set an example and whom masses recognize as their leaders that they can be induced to perform the work and undergo the renunciations on which the existence of civilization depends."

Toxic Socialization

• Freud recognizes toxic elements in "civilization"

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