Life Conduct in Modern Times: Karl Jaspers and Psychoanalysis

ISBN-13: 9789048171880 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 168 str.

Matthias Bormuth

Opis

We read, but we are also read by others. Interferences of these readings. Forcing someone to read himself as he is read (slavehood). Forcing the others to read me as I read myself (conquest). 1 Simone Weil Karl Jaspers was born in Oldenburg in 1883, grew up in a liberal-minded banker s family, studied medicine and was granted a chair in philosophy at the Uni- 2 versity of Heidelberg in 1922. The decisive factor in this appointment was Jaspers 1919 monograph Psychology of World Views (Psychologie der Weltanschauungen), 3 which founded so-called existence philosophy . What is less known is that in 1913 Jaspers had already published an epoch-making methodological systematics, his General Psychopathology (Allgemeine Psychopathologie), which had established 4 him as an authority in the field of psychiatry in the German-speaking world. As a result of this as well as the fact that Jaspers addressed questions concerning physi- 5 sicians self-identity, Jaspers is now celebrated as one of the classic figures of 6 medicine . 1 Weil (1990), pg. 134. 2 Karl Jaspers (1883-1969) worked as a psychiatrist in Heidelberg starting in 1909, and from 1914 on he held a position as a Privatdozent for psychology in the Department of Philosophy after having completed his Habilitation. In 1920 he was granted an assistant professorship and in 1922 a chair in this department. In 1937 he was forced to retire because his wife was Jewish. In 1945 he was reinstated."

Recenzje

On the German version of this book:

"As a profound expert on the work of Karl Jaspers, the author has carefully and in a well-informed manner investigated the philosopher´s controversy with the leading psychoanalysts of the time. [...] All in all an extensive study that captivates through its extraordinary quality of language."

- Christian Müller, Gesnerus. Swiss Journal of the History of Medicine and Sciences

"A masterwork of a scholarly, clear and impartial presentation which illuminates the border area between philosophy and psychoanalysis."

- Hartmut Raguse, Theologische Literaturzeitung

"Simply impressive. Bormuth undertakes nothing less than to reconstruct the philosophy of Jaspers in its complete historical context."

- Ingo-Wolf Kittel, Der Nervenarzt

Spis treści

Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. The Critique of Psychoanalysis 1913-1920. The 1913 General Psychopathology. Jaspers and psychiatry in Heidelberg. Psychopathology at the divide between the natural sciences and the humanities. The 1913 critique of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis as a ‘psychology of understanding’. The 1920 critique of psychoanalysis. What remains? Pierre Janet and Freud’s ‘Studies on Hysteria’. Theory of Neurosis as Cultural Criticism. Practical Critique of Psychoanalysis in the Years 1913-1920. Suggestion and psychoanalytic ‘confession’. ‘Existential communication’ or ‘dealing with resistance’. 2. Life conduct in modern times. Max Weber as ‘crisis’-indicator.‘ Disenchantment of the world’ and intellectual life conduct. Man in the Modern Age (1931). Diagnosis of modernity between hybris and modesty. ‘Philosophical’ life conduct in the Protestant ‘spirit’. Charismatic traditions – the university and ‘life of the home’. Max Weber and life conduct. 3. Critique of psychoanalysis in 1931. Max Weber’s ‘doctrine of science’. Value-free’ science in modern times. Monocausal research and philosophy of history. Karl Jaspers and the ‘human sciences’. Critique of ideologies: Marxism, race hygiene and psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis and Otto Gross’s ‘erotic movement’. 4. Critique of psychoanalysis in 1941. Historical ideotype? Psychoanalysis during National Socialism.‘Existential’ self-reflection and facultative ‘training analysis’. Definitive and instrumental goals of psychotherapy. Praise of psychosomatics. 5. The Founding of the psychosomatic clinic in Heidelberg 1946-1949. Exposé (Denkschrift) on psychosomatic medicine.Von Weizsäcker: 'retribution' and psychoanalysis. Alexander Mitscherlich: syncreticism of psychoanalysis at the ‘GöringInstitute’. Dispute between the faculties– '... the cat out of the sack'. Jaspers’s advocation of psychoanalysis under the supervision of Mitscherlich. Establishment of a department for general therapy. 6. Critique of psychoanalytic psychosomatics 1949-1953. Psychosomatic provocations. Viktor von Weizsäcker’s apology of 'unlived life'. Alexander Mitscherlich: regarding the 'self-concealment of meaning'. Jasper’s reactions 1950-1953. American circumstances – Hannah Arendt on psychoanalysis (1). 'Biological' limits of psychosomatic 'salvific doctrines'. Controversy over training analysis. 'Serviceable are those who can be trained.' 'Truthfulness' vis-a-vis one’s 'counterpart'. Critique or politics? 7. On the critique of psychoanalysis and society1950-1968. Totalitarianism and 'counter-propaganda' 1950-1954. Psychoanalysis and 'secularization' – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker contra Jaspers. 'Loss of authority' as the cause of totalitarian dominion. 'Reason and Anti-Reason in Our Time'. 'Cultural freedom' or 'compulsory analysis'?– Hannah Arendt on psychoanalysis (2). Life conduct in the Federal Republic 1964-1968. 'Television university' on psychoanalysis and 'value freedom'. Freud and 'Society without a Father' . Jürgen Habermas’ utopia of psychoanalytic 'self-enlightenment'. Summary and Prospective View. Bibliographie.Abbreviations. Unpublished texts. Index.

O autorze

Matthias Bormuth, geb. 1963, nach Medizinstudium und psychiatrischer Tätigkeit Promotion über Karl Jaspers und die Psychoanalyse. Seit 1998 Mitarbeiter am Tübinger Institut für Ethik und Geschichte in der Medizin mit geistesgeschichtlichen Arbeiten zu Psychiatrie, Philosophie und Literatur.

Blurb

The German version of this book received the main award in 2001 of the prestigious Stehr-Boldt-Fonds of the University of Zürich for scientific research combining questions of medical ethics with social interest.

This award-winning book investigates the critique of psychoanalysis formulated by the psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers (1883-1969) over a period of five decades. His arguments against Freud and his followers are examined from systematic perspectives. The study traces the medico-historical roots of Jasper’s criticism of psychoanalysis and then places it within the framework of scientific theory before devoting itself extensively to medico-ethical aspects of the controversy, which are ultimately treated in terms of a history of mentalities. According to this view, Jasper’s student Hannah Arendt saw to it that the philosopher be made aware of the socio-cultural impact which psychoanalysis was beginning to have in the U.S.A. The philosopher came to look upon psychoanalysis as a theory – in particular as it was propagated after 1945 in Germany and the U.S. – whose claim to scientific objectivity constituted a serious threat to the freedom of the individual. Max Weber’s theory of science and his concept of modernity serve as a critical guide for the interpretation. Thus the normative premise of the investigation is the liberal idea that in a secular and pluralistic society it is ultimately the individual who is to take responsibility for life conduct.