The Future of an Illusion, The Illusion of the Future: An Historic Dialogue on the Value of Religion between Oskar Pfister and Sigmund Freud

2021 ◽  
pp. 161-175
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
The Future ◽  
Oskar Pfister

scholarly journals THE UNCANNY: DEVELOPMENT AND PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Mrówczyńska
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
The Uncanny ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Future ◽  
Definition Of

In 1919 Sigmund Freud raised the interest in the uncanny by claiming in his essay "Das Unheimliche" that something can be familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Since the emergence of the concept in the 20th century, many scholars have presented their own definition of the uncanny. The concept originates from the German unheimlich but the meaning reaches far beyond its dictionary definition. As Masschelein suggests, the word itself "is untranslatable qua form and content" (Masschelein 2011, 7) and as long as the uncanny cannot be understood literally, the ambiguity of the term can lead to a multitude of interpretations. The aim of this paper is to explore how the perception of the uncanny has been changing through the years in connection with the Freudian definition. The paper offers an overview of various interpretations of the concept starting from 1906 until today. The juxtaposition of the most significant views on the uncanny shows how the concept has gradually formed a basis for various fields of study such as literature and art. The paper presents future perspectives of the uncanny where it no longer refers only to the motif of the double or supernatural elements but it also tackles the problems of body transformations and politics.

‘Een geweldige illusie’: Over de theologische achtergronden van Freuds Die Zukunft einer Illusion

2005 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-194
Author(s):  
H. Westerink
Keyword(s):  
Psychology Of Religion ◽  
Psychoanalysis And Religion ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Oskar Pfister

In this article it is argued that Freuds The Future of an Illusion is highly influenced by two of his followers, Theodor Reik and Oskar Pfister. Their views on religion reflect positions in theological debates within modern theology, debates about the formation of dogmas, the historical core of religion and the position of psychology of religion in relation with dogmatics. Their work on religion as a system of dogmas, their ideas on religion as illusion and their analysis that dogmas are obsolete, are adopted by Freud. The Future of an Illusion can also be seen as part of a controversy between Freud and Pfister on the relationship between psychoanalysis and religion.

Freud in Trieste: Journey to an Ambiguous City

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gandolfi
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
East And West ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Psychoanalytic Theories ◽  
North And South

This article provides an insightful exploration of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and the city of Trieste. Through an analysis of the correspondence between Freud and his friend Eduard Silberstein, Gandolfi follows those places visited by the future father of psychoanalysis and analyses their link to Freud's life. The journey to Trieste is considered as an experience that played a fundamental role in his future decisions as well as in the development of some of his psychoanalytic theories. The article eventually relates the ambiguous nature of the city – a peculiar space in which North and South, East and West converge – to Freud's own Triestine experience, that not only remits to his initial scientific researches, but also symbolizes a first significant contact with the world of sexuality.

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