It is a readable introduction to Freud the philosopher, and it is written in a fairly accessible language. It does, however, seem rather superficial at times and never really get to grips with the aspects of Freud’s work that I find most central to his philosophical position. Interesting in its links to Plato, but there's just a little too much Lear in the interpretation and possibly not enough Freud.

A great Aristotelian reading of Freud.

Jonathan Lear, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, has here written an extremely helpful introduction to the thought of Freud that comes at this giant's work from the angle of the ancient philosophical search for wise living. That was a mouth-full so let me put it simply: Lear is a philosopher who reads Freud for the purpose of living a more healthy life. The fundamental task taken up by Socrates - the quest to "know thyself" - is the most basic intention and goal of this book - it is, as Lear calls it, the "fundamental question." But knowing thyself cannot be accomplished (not that its possible in any comprehensive sense) without first understanding how our human behavior and desires work. This latter (and prerequisite) task is psychoanalysis.

At bottom, psychoanalysis is a practical tool intended to help the analysand bring to consciousness certain unconscious drives, feelings, and wishes that are presenting themselves in his or her neurotic behaviors (anxiety, depression, anger, etc.) - all of which are causing the lived experience of the individual to "go wrong." A lot of our problems in life are explainable by various latent, undeveloped, and unaddressed fears, traumas, habits, etc. from childhood upbringing that we've internalized and thus keep coming back again and again. We not only don't know what's going on in the unconscious, but we also repress such drives and feelings, distracting ourselves from the deep feelings - and such is a self-induced tactic whose goal is to turn away from reality. All of this is a self-induced cycle of unhappiness and actually get in the way of our human flourishing.

My favorite chapter was the last one in which Lear critiques Freud's criticisms of religion. Lear is clearly a religious thinker who thinks that psychoanalysis is compatible with Christian belief.

خیلی مردد بودم بین ۳ و ۴ و به نظرم نمره‌اش ۳.۵ هست.
کتاب مروری هست به افکار و آرای فروید ولی بیشتر به این می‌پردازه که اهمیت فلسفی افکار فروید در زمانه‌ی ما چی هست. من کتاب رو برای آشنایی با افکار فروید شروع کردم ولی فکر می‌کنم خیلی کتاب مناسبی برای شروع نیست. کتاب رو یه فیلسوف روانکاو نوشته و خوندنش یه جاهایی سخت میشه. مخصوصا این که یه قسمت‌هایی از کتاب معلوم نیست کدوم حرف‌ها نظر نویسنده است و کدوم‌ها نظر فروید. ولی کتاب ایده‌های جالبی رو در مورد نظریات فروید و اهمیتشون در زمان حال به ما میده و نقدهایی هم که نویسنده به نظریات فروید وارد می‌کنه جالب هستن. من متن انگلیسی کتاب رو خوندم و ترجمه‌ی فارسی کتاب رو هم تا اینجا تا نیمه‌ی کتاب دنبال کردم. به نظرم ترجمه‌ی خوبی از کتاب انجام گرفته ولی لحن ترجمه زیادی حماسی و ادبی شده و فهم متن انگلیسی راحت‌تر از متن فارسی هست یه جاهایی. در کل ولی بعد از خوندن کتاب بیشتر علاقمند شدم که نظریات فروید رو مطالعه کنم. حس می‌کنم ما همیشه نقدهایی که به فروید وارد شده رو خوندیم و هیچ‌وقت نرفتیم اول ببینیم حرف فروید چی بوده اصلا.

This book was an answer to my prayers.

No no!

Not really!

I don’t actually do that.

But if I did.

I would have prayed all last year for a great new book on psychoanalysis.

And then this book would have dropped and that would have made it seem like it worked.

Anyway.

This is a great book.

It’s a well written, economical, plain spoken contemporary elucidation of Freudian psychoanalysis, written by the clearly insightful, skillful and erudite psychoanalyst and philosopher Johnathan Lear.

Lear posits that the prime directive of psychoanalysis is for the analysand to observe their own experiences, and say whatever comes to mind, without self censorship, for the sake of brining the fullness of their psychological existence into conscious awareness.

All of the other special structures and constructs of the psychoanalytic ‘situation’ are designed specifically to foster this outcome.

That’s so clear.

I really really wanted someone to come along and write a book like this.

And he did.

And I’m so dang happy about it.

I honestly can’t even!

Yass mama yass!!!!

The

Author refrences Socrates more than Plato does.

جالبه که انگار یادم رفته بوده بزنم که کتاب رو تموم کردم. به صورت کلی کتاب خوبی بود ولی به نظرم برای شروع کار کتاب مناسبی نیست. یه مقدار خوبی فلسفه پردازی‌های جاناتان لیر مخلوط شده با روایت نظریات فروید و یه جاهایی تفکیک این دو سخت میشه.
کتاب یه مقدار هم سنگین هست و همونطور که گفتم برای آشنایی با فروید احتمالا کتاب مناسبی نیست ولی ارزش خوندن داره

به عنوان کسی که تا الان کتابی در این زمینه نخونده بودم خیلی با خوندنش راحت بودم. جاناتان لیر توی هر قسمت مسئله‌‌ای که در برخی موارد بیمار‌های فروید و در برخی موارد انسان‌ها به طور کلی باش مواجه هستند رو شرح میده، بعد از اون نظر فروید در رابطه با مسئله رو شرح میده و در آخر در برخی موارد نظرات فروید رو نقد میکنه، و انقدر اینکار رو با نظم خوبی انجام میده که هم به فهمیده شدن مطالب کمک میکنه و هم خوندن کتاب رو خوشایند میکنه.

Incredibly compelling portrayal of Freud, plugging him into the Aristotelian tradition. In a way, Lear salvages Freud for me and makes me want to revisit psychoanalysis in more depth.

Great introduction to Freud's basic ideas.

2019 Review: I read this again (twice) recently without realising that I had previously read and reviewed it six years ago! Quite a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then (!) and my views on the book are a bit different. I still think it is a readable and interesting introduction to Freud and I like the fact that Lear is ready to disagree with Freud and the fact that he has his own perspective does make the book interesting. But, despite his evident self-confidence, his thinking strikes me as rather superficial, lacking in either philosophical or psychoanalytic rigour. He seems to have a rationalistic view of consciousness (despite the fact that he is writing a book on Freud!) and then because he is so rationalistic he gets very caught up with the idea that the mind disrupts itself. He has a strange Davidson-influenced approach to understanding human agency but for all his preoccupation with teleology does not seem to notice that he regularly attributes agency to processes (e.g the mind disrupts itself plus lots of vaguely Darwinian talk of things "being selected"). He thinks and hopes that psychoanalysis can fulfil (what he sees as) the Greek project of providing a grounding for an ethically virtuous life, but the idea that a "robust moral psychology" could play this role is deluded. So interesting in that he is prepared to strike off on his own paths, but the paths don't really lead anyway and at best provide material for unravelling.

2013 Review: This is a very readable and interesting introduction to Freud (and to psychoanalysis). It looks at Freud from a philosophical point of view and makes many interesting links particularly to Socrates and Plato. I did occasionally feel that it was seeking to be popular in a negative sense and the author certainly has the confidence to present clear views and make clear judgements, some of which did strike me as being a bit quick or superficial. However, there are many interesting perspective and a good balance between sympathy and agreement with Freud and the attempt to stand back a bit and assess his work. Three stars is perhaps a bit harsh, but as an ex-philosopher my expectations of philosophers are a bit high. I also think that seeing Freud's work through Plato's eyes is rather more worthwhile and interesting than adding Davidsonian insights to psychoanalytic perspectives (but that is probably mainly a reflection on me rather than on this book!).

خب باید بگم که شما با یه کتاب نسبتاً سخت‌خوان که در عین حال بسیار ژرف و کاربردی هست روبرو هستید. جاناتان لیر در این کتاب به توضیح، تفسیر و موشکافی آراء فروید پرداخته. بهتره هرکسی که به فروید و یا مباحث روانکاوی و البته مباحث خودشناسی! علاقه‌مند هست، خواندن این کتاب رو در اولویت بذاره. این کتاب می‌تونه ذهن شما رو از برخی بدفهمی‌هایی که نسبت به نظریات فروید وجود داره آگاه و اصلاح کنه.
نکتهٔ پراهمیت این کتاب اینه که جاناتان لیر موضعی کاملاً معتدل و منصفانه به آراء و افکار فروید داره، در این کتاب نه خبری از جانبداری‌های مبالغه‌آمیز و بی‌دلیل از فروید و نظریاتش هست و نه خبری از سوءگیری‌ها و تفسیرهای غیرمنصفانه و جاهلانه!

به قول اسلاوی ژیژک
«اگر بنا باشد به این پرسش پاسخ دهم که در میان روانکاوان معاصر چه کسی برای نگارش درآمدی بر فروید در مقام فیلسوف شایسته‌ترین است، انتخابم کسی نخواهد بود جز جاناتان لیر»

و در نهایت درود بر جناب جعفری و جناب طهماسب برای ترجمهٔ دقیق و عالی چنین اثر مهم و ارزشمندی.