ABSTRACT
Wilfred Bion was one of the most original minds ever to grace the halls of psychoanalysis. This chapter focuses on four philosophical roots and contexts in Bion. Four philosophical roots include empirical science, metaphysical search for fundamental categories, quasi-mystical and hark back to Enlightenment turncoats Milton and Blake and the postmodern admission that there is no truth, only diverse versions and stories of truth. The chapter considers his utilization of logical positivism, which is in many ways an extension of Enlightenment science. It examines his application of Kant and looks at his turn towards mysticism. The chapter discusses some postmodern features in Bion's exploration of the mind. Bion's theory of thinking represents his attempt to transform the ideas of Freud and Klein into a rigorous scientific language and notation. Mental events are private and change in character when they are communicated. Bion was applying positivist principles to mental events, a philosophically questionable endeavor.
