Description
Book SynopsisFreud's psychoanalytical discoveries have had a profound impact on morals but in this text, the author asserts that Freud is misunderstood on the various psychological issues relevant to morality and the ethical implications that can be drawn from his views. He reinterprets Freud's ideas.
Table of ContentsPart 1 Foundational issues: the hermeneutical problem of reading Freud; the determinism - free will problem; reconciling the paradox - psychic determinism and moral responsibility. Part 2 Psychological egoism: overview of psychological egoism; the pleasure principle and psychological hedonism; narcissism; object love. Part 3 Normative implications: on modifying normative standards - the case of the love commandment; normative aspects of psychoanalytic practice. Part 4 Foundations of ethics in Freudian theory: toward a psychoanalytically informed ethic; how is practical reason guided? happiness and the basic goods of life; normative principles and social theory. Appendix: why take psychoanalytic findings seriously? The credibility of Freudian theory.
