Civilization and Its Discontents

Leaving aside the second short text included in this volume and the introduction and rereading “Civilization and Its Discontents” after more than 20 years, I am more impressed than ever. The details of psychological depth processes are secondary to Freud’s deep understanding of THE fundamental problems of modern civilization -- which are increasingly of fatal potential. As put by Freud “Much of mankind’s struggle is taken up with the task of finding a suitable, that is to say a happy accommodation, between the claims of the individual and the mass claims of civilization. One of the problems affecting the fate of mankind is whether such an accommodation can be achieved through a particular moulding of civilization or whether the conflict is irreconcilable (p. 42). Freud continues and states frankly “I can no longer understand how we could have ignored the ubiquity of non-erotic aggression and destruction and failed to accord it its due place in the interpretation of life. (p 72); and “I take the view that the tendency to aggression is an original, autonomous disposition in man, and I return to my earlier contention that it represents the greatest obstacle to civilization…to gather together individuals, then families and finally tribes, peoples and nations in one great unit – humanity… These multitudes of human beings are to be libidinally bound to one another; necessity alone, the advantages of shared work, will not hold them together. However, this programme of civilization is opposed by man’s natural aggressive drive, the hostility of each against all and all against each. This aggressive drive is the descendant and principal representative of the death drive, which we have found beside Eros and which rules the world jointly with him. And now, I think, the meaning of the development of civilization is no longer obscure to us. This development must show us the struggle between Eros and death, between the life drive and the drive for destruction, as it is played out in the human race. This struggle is the essential content of all life; hence, the development of civilization may be described simply as humanity’s struggle for existence (p. 75). towards the end comes the most crucial insight of all: “Human beings have made such strides in controlling the forces of nature that, with the help of these forces, they will have no difficulty in exterminating one another, down to the last man. They know this, and it is this knowledge that accounts for much of their present disquiet, unhappiness and anxiety” (p. 106). Given nuclear weapons, climate change, gene editing and emerging nano technologies, Freud’s mind foresaw the fateful choices increasingly faces the human species and the inherent difficulties and perhaps impossibilities to cope with them. This is what makes “Civilization and Discontent” into a crucial text for the 21st century.Professor Yehezkel Dror

This is arguably Freud's best work, in the sense that it covers issues that are absolutely timeless in the most straightforward manner possible. Not inflected with Freud's theories on trauma, gender, or hysteria, this book is a pure distillation of the un-get-around-able question: How do we balance our our visceral desires with out need to get along? How do the sacrifices we make in order to live in society affect our primal selves? And are they worth it?Written in the wake of a devastating war, this book contains a streak of intelligent, wary pessimism that's hard to counter.In the lineage of lasting works that address the question of balancing desires with responsibilities, urges with laws, this book comes after Euripides' "The Bacchae" and Nietzsche's "The Birth of Tragedy" for me. It's a compelling read and re-read.

I had to read this for a philosophy lecture and found it interesting. Not a great fan of Freud after reading this and Interpretation of Dreams but this is an important essay. Take your time and think about it. Remember that he wrote it after WWI and the collapse of his world and just as the Nazis were coming to power. A few years later, his country, Austria, was taken over and he had to leave his homeland. A few years later, his homeland-Austria, as absorbed into Germany and he became a refugee. This essay is a meditation and foreshadowing of what happens when civilization begins to dissolve.

I can see where the ideas come from as they appear to continue to be true today. This, i think disproves the theory in itself as promiscuity has greatly increased but the issues discussed still exist if not more so and are more prevalent in those who are more promiscuous.

Great book, hilariously tacky edition. When publishing a super-cheap version of a classic, most designer would go with a plain matte cover. But not this designer. No, they went with the full-on leather-with-gold-embossed-text look, as though they could convince all of us that this is a fine, well-bound leather and gold book on our shelves. In reality, the front & back cover basically look like a low-res print-out of a google image of worn leather,. But I somehow love it a lot. Worth it.

The language in the book is definitely an old school writing style. It's clumsy to try and read (and understand) at the same time.Maybe I'm stupid, but I have to stop a disect every sentence to get what the author meant to write.

This is probably one of my favorite books, one that is still relevant today. Freud's analysis of human condition and its never ending quest for explanations can be applied today to the modern man/woman. Despite our high level of civilization we are still primitive; we haven't overcome our anxieties.

This is Freud’s apex in thought that intimated Object relations, theories on happiness and self-destruction. Still relevant today, as it was then.

Although I'm not sure how many, of the many ideas Freud discusses in this essay have been empirically verified, I found the text to be packed with interesting ideas and perspectives that are certainly worth thinking about. I especially enjoyed Freud's take on the origin of human conscience and the idea that not only individuals but whole societies may be subject to a superego which directs their actions. My final verdict is that although the scientific character of the ideas is often suspect, the ideas themselves are never boring and their exposition is very cogent.

This is certainly a very interesting read which gives a deep insight into Freud's fascinating and alternative, if somewhat warped, perspective on the different dimensions of society. You don't necessarily have to be interested in Psychological theory to find this book rewarding although it has the potential to be a little tedious at times for those not used to immersing themselves in Freudian ideology. It's worth a read just to look at the world through a different perspective and you don't necessarily have to be on Freud's wavelength to get something out of this book

Very pleased. The book is smaller in size but very nice. I bought it as a gift

Superb analysis of mankind's ills that ring so true today. Freud was a genius.

Interesting ideas, don't agree with them all though.