Well, after a bit of stress, I’m finally getting this post up. I almost consider Freud to be in the ranks of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, or Beowulf. He’s so commonly known and referred to, that it seems impossible that an individual hasn’t at least heard of some of his ideas. In my opinion, while Freud is very interesting to read, I don’t trust anything he says. I’m fascinated by some of his topics and theories, but in the back of my mind, I’m constantly doubting their validity. This is because Freud is unprovable. His theories can’t be tested and I remember while reading this text, I found myself saying, “Prove it.” That being said, I think that despite it’s reliability, Freud offers very important glimpses into human nature.
Unlike Nietzsche, who was rather blunt and unlikeable in his views regarding religion, I found Freud to be a loveable atheist. His ideas regarding religion and the oceanic feeling actually made a lot of sense, and I found myself at points flat out agreeing with him. Religion really does put us back in that infantile state. One of the things I love about religion is that oceanic feeling that Freud speaks of. The idea that you aren’t all alone, but rather part of a larger, more significant community is something very comforting, and may explain the draws of religion to many people. Not sure if I agree with him that it’s a regressive memory, but I do agree that it allows us to lose the pressures of the superego, ego, and id, and just become a part of a seemingly more important moment.
Now, Freud’s views of humanity seem sort of cynical. His discussion of the universal ideal of loving your neighbour was really very depressing in a way. His views that we shouldn’t or can’t love our neighbours out of fear and knowledge that they’re just going to trample on us is rather harsh. Maybe it’s just me, but I believe that not every individual would be willing to harm you just for the sake of it. He’s rather depressing in his views of humanity…
All in all, I’m not the biggest Freud fan. Sure, it’s entertaining to ponder the mysterious motives behind our actions, but in reality, Freud’s theories are write-offs. It’s very easy to say AFTER something happens that that is the cause, but how can you prove it? I can’t really take Freud seriously, because there is no way to prove his theories.
