#SigmundFreud
John Gray:
John Gray:
"Freud thought that civilisation is inestimably valuable – unlike some
other writers in central Europe, he was never tempted by barbarism. But he also
recognised that civilisation is inherently flawed, not because of political
repression and corruption or economic inequality, but because of the nature of
the human animal. That is why civilisation can never be rid of its faults, can
never be entirely benign. I think that is true. In the language of religion, it
might be called original sin. In other religions such as Buddhism, it is called
original ignorance. However one wants to put it, it is a truth that humans are
ineradicably flawed, and that is a commonplace in pretty much any religious
tradition. It’s only recently, in the last 150 years, that the idea which Freud
presented in a secular form is considered to be shocking."
Illustrator: Anne Simon
Author: Corinne Maier