SOC SCI H1G Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Moritz Schlick, Psychopathy, Rationality
14 Mar 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lecture 16
Civilization and its Discontents
- Disillusionment
- Last 20 years, Freud’s life terrible; WWI, Great Depression, fascism in Germany
growing
- As a defeated empire, Austria’s situation was miserable.
- Compounding the social problems was a dramatic rise in anti-Semitism.
Happening in Germany and Austria. Group called German Students’ Union,
published list of prof. Who should be avoided. Freud and Moritz Schlick were
both on the list*
- Situation getting worse and worse: Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in
1933. End of democracy in Austria; Austria civil war
- Johann “Hans: Nelbock murdered Moritz Schlick; a psychopath with history of
mental disorders
- Former student of his
- The Vienna Circle ended when Schlick died. The members mostly left because
they were Jewish for the most part.
- Freud leaves a few years later
- Einstein took a trip to the US in 1933; never went back to Germany
- The Burden of Civilization
- Why does civilization make people so MISERABLE? Answers somber in Freud’s
book Civilization and its Discontents (1930)*
- Defined civilization as containing knowledge that men have acquired in taking
nature and manipulating it to bend to their will. “... the regulations necessary in
order to adjust the relations of men to one another and especially the distribution
of the available wealth.”
- Regulation of our expression of love and hate
- “...every civilization must be built up on coercion and renunciation of instinct.”
- Restrain ourselves. It’s okay to think about things, but not everything you
think of should be put into action.
- Conflict between individual and society
- “Antagonism between the demands of instinct and the restrictions of
civilization.”*
- Humans by nature are interested in love as well as being aggressive.
- Freud was influenced by Hobbes; social contract authored by Hobbes called for
trading freedom for security because “man is wolf to man.”*
- Hobbes presented his own ideas in the Leviathan –
- Life is nasty, brutish, and short
- State of nature = war; we are very dangerous to one another.
- Hobbes says civil war is the ultimate terror; definition of fear itself.
Thus, he wanted to reform philosophy in order to reform the nation
and get rid of fear.
- Security is most important
- In order to give fixed security, you must give up your
freedom to the state
- Civilization subjects instinctual drives Eros and Thanatos to external control if
internal control fails, and exerts influence over human behavior*
- Happiness is hard to achieve because we are frustrated in society; happiness is
“based on an illusion and bound to be continually disappointed.”*
- “Life… is too hard for us… brings too many pains… the intention that man
should be ‘happy’ is not contained in the plan of ‘Creation’.”*
- Living is courageous to Freud
- Freud and Rousseau
- Civilization is “...largely responsible for our misery, and that we should be much
happier if we gave it up and returned to primitive conditions.”* - Freud
- Why it’s so hard to deal with civilization is the stress – “...cannot tolerate the
amount of frustration which society imposes on him… abolition or reduction of
those demands would result in a return to possibilities of happiness.”*
- Freud knew there was no going back to the state of nature; but instead hoped that
civilization would experience a maturation process in which base instincts are
replaced by reason
- Rationality SHOULD develop to higher levels as society develops
- If this happens, then we will act less selfishly and instead act for the good
of the whole group rather than for ourselves individually
- Misplaced Optimism
- 19th century: new era of liberalism and freedom in Europe
- Based upon ideas from philosophers who made up the age of enlightenment
- “Great war” required an adjustment to the conclusion that enlightenment had
come to Europe; WWI started in 1914. It shattered the thought that we had
realized tranquility and enlightenment.
- Freud reminds readers that humans, no matter what, are warlike
- Great Danger of the Death Drive
- Hate is represented by death drive
- Imposes immediate danger to civilization*
- Task of living in society is, then, rather challenging
- 2016; NY Times published paintings by contemporary artists. – I fear the monster
that dwells within us, no matter what we believe in by Jun Cen
- Death Drive is dangerous to everyone
Document Summary
Last 20 years, freud"s life terrible; wwi, great depression, fascism in germany growing. As a defeated empire, austria"s situation was miserable. Compounding the social problems was a dramatic rise in anti-semitism. Group called german students" union, published list of prof. who should be avoided. Freud and moritz schlick were both on the list* Situation getting worse and worse: adolf hitler became chancellor of germany in: end of democracy in austria; austria civil war. Johann hans: nelbock murdered moritz schlick; a psychopath with history of mental disorders. The vienna circle ended when schlick died. The members mostly left because they were jewish for the most part. Einstein took a trip to the us in 1933; never went back to germany. Answers somber in freud"s book civilization and its discontents (1930)* Defined civilization as containing knowledge that men have acquired in taking nature and manipulating it to bend to their will.
