Product Description

The Future of An Illusion written by legendary Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud is widely considered to be one of his greatest works of all time. This great work will surely attract a whole new generation of readers who study Sigmund Freud. For many, The Future of An Illusion is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading about human psychology, this gem by Sigmund Freud is highly recommended. Published by Classic House Books and beautifully produced, The Future of An Illusion would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27439 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-15
• Binding: Paperback
• 56 pages

Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation)

About the Author
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is one of the twentieth century's greatest minds and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. His many works include The Ego and the Id; An Outline of Psycho-Analysis; Inhibitions; Symptoms and Anxiety; New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis; Civilization and Its Discontent, and others.

Peter Gay is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the National Book Award winner The Enlightenment, the best-selling Weimar Culture, and the widely translated Freud: A Life for Our Time. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Freud on Religion
Reading Freud is always refreshing -- not only is he a good writer, but he also has many deep psychological insights. In his 71 page text, "The Future of an Illusion," he tackles the subject of religion. A livelong atheist, Freud argues that religion is derived from a child-like sense of helplessness in the world. Its purpose, he says, is to explain the sometimes-unfathomable world, to provide societal order, and to give comfort and happiness (particularly for the "the masses" and the poor, uneducated and oppressed). Although Freud wants to reshape civilization's relationship with religion, he also recognizes that widespread atheism could undermine societal stability. Overall, this is a good, quick read -- perfect for those interested in religion/atheism, psychology and the intersection between the two.

Scientifc Analysis of Religion
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This is Freud's scientific analysis of religion. Religion, along with government and social, moral and ethical codes, or, civilization act as removing man from his true instinctal and destructive nature into a civil society. Religion is a neccessary illusion derived from men's wishes.

Freud can be applauded and admired as a great thinker and psychoanalyst. This is an essential book to read. Yet Freud misses out on the mystical experience, the religious or psychal ability to perceive the irrational, the awe of the numenous, the perceived knowledge apart from rational thinking and intellectual analysis. Or in Rudolph Otto's title, "the idea of the holy."

Freud ends his book, on page 71 with:

"No, our science is no illusion. But an illusion
it would be to suppose that what science
cannot give us we can get elsewhere."

So Freud was amazingly accurate on one religious foundation: human ability to create wishes and to civilize himself and in contrast Freud was missing a great deal in the mystical, the non-rational element, thus he discarded all religion as a universally accepted solution to the conflicts that arise in childhood relation to the father. While this may have some validity, it misses completely the symbolic mythological teachings that attempt to convey what is claimed universal to be real religious experience. This is where Freud leaves off and Carl Jung continues.

How Freud viewed religion
The common perception of Sigmund Freud is that he was a pioneering psychiatrist with too much focus on the sexual aspects of human existence. However, he was very much a product of the European culture of the last decades of the nineteenth century. In this book, his focus is on religion and its role in civilization.
Freud considers religion to be an illusion, but one that is necessary. He argues that without some form of moralistic rudder, humans would be in a death struggle for resources until eventually nearly all would be killed. Therefore, in order for civilization to be possible, a code of behavior must exist, which generates the necessary order and cooperation. This requisite behavior was codified in formal religions, where people are taught to suppress their animal desires for goods, sex and sustenance, so that all will get a share and conflict is avoided. The payback for your deeds takes place after you die, where good deeds are rewarded with a place in heaven and evil deeds by a place of punishment. Freud notes that delaying the reward until after death then guarantees that the social behavior will last throughout ones life.
I recently read the book "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. In that book, Dawkins argues that much of our altruistic behavior can be explained by simple formulas whereby the behavior leads to the presence of more copies of our genes. If this is combined with the valid points that Freud makes in this book, then it is possible that religious belief is coded in our genes. It is an interesting proposition and Freud's arguments are strong. I enjoyed reading this book and came away with a new appreciation for the quality of Freud's intellect.