ABSTRACT
Freud is famous for offering a critique of morality and religious belief. He purports to offer a psychoanalytic interpretation of those institutions that have hitherto given meaning to human life. It is as though he is putting western civilization itself on the couch. His aim is ‘to make the unconscious conscious’ – that is, he wants to show that morality and religious belief have different origins and serve different purposes than they claim. These are grand reflections about the meaning of western civilization. And they are, in my opinion, the least valuable aspect of Freud’s work. Precisely because they are so far removed from his clinical work, crucial assumptions in his arguments are unjustified, inferences are dubious and his conclusions are not established. I do not think this part of Freud’s work will stand the test of time. Nevertheless, the form of Freud’s argument is of enduring philosophical interest. And seeing how Freud’s arguments go wrong will, I hope, open up possibilities for a deeper psychoanalytic engagement with moral and religious commitment.
