Civilization and Its Discontents

AN EXAMINED LIFE

Civilization and its Discontents

Core Reading Essay


William M. Wood

4/18/2011




 
Billy Wood
IDST 01H
The Examined Life
April 10, 2011

Civilization and Its Discontents Core Reading Essay – Freud

What is the “oceanic” feeling described by Freud
The first part of Civilization and Its Discontents deals with the ego, the id, and the oceanic feeling. The Oceanic feeling, as described by Freud’s friend Romain Rolland, is a feeling of being intricately tied to the greater world around an individual (Roberts, 2006). Rolland suggests that the oceanic feeling is at the heart of all religions. In Civilization and Its Discontents Freud wrote "I cannot discover this ‘oceanic' feeling in myself" (Freud, 1989). While Freud claimed that he could not experience the oceanic feeling, he also did not deny its existence. Rollins felt that the oceanic feeling “entitled” a person to feel a sense of religion even if they rejected every belief (Freud, 1989). Freud challenged that notion writing that emotions can be difficult to scientifically measure.
Freud suggests that this “oceanic feeling” is subjective and allowed a person to return to an earlier emotional point in their life. The feeling of oneness with the world, as Freud explains, harkens back to infancy before the ego develops. Freud states that in infancy there is a sense of “helplessness” and a need for a “father” (Freud, 1989). In psychoanalytical terms, early in life the ego and the object or outside world are dependent on one another and difficult to distinguish. As a person grows, the two separate and the ego becomes completely internal. Freud also draws the conclusion that the ego and the object can become close to being one during moments of passion. He writes “At the height of being in love the boundary between ego and object threatens to melt away.” In conclusion Freud suggests that there is not enough of a need for this “infantile” feeling to be the source of religion.

Describe the role of Religion according to Freud.
One way that Freud saw role of religion was a way to allow people to escape their everyday worries and fears. In the oceanic feeling, the ego attempts to separate itself from pain while seeking pleasure. Religion, as Freud, saw it was an outlet to alleviate oneself from pain and suffering with the promise of pleasure in the hereafter.

Freud also believed that religion had another role. Sin as Freud saw it, was the term that religions used to address one’s sense of guilt. In Civilization and Its Discontents Freud wrote, "The different religions have never overlooked the part played by the sense of guilt in civilization. What is more, they come forward with a claim...to save mankind from this sense of guilt, which they call sin” (Freud, 1989). The ego would use the sense of guilt against other in society. The superego allows a person to deal with guilt. The super ego, or the internalization of aggressiveness, develops a sense for a need to be punished (Johnston, 1993) . This need to be punished is mans primary source of guilt. According to Freud, religions preach that we are born with this guilt in the form of sin and that adhering to religious principles will help steer us from sin.

Discuss Freud’s definition or view of happiness.
Freud believed that there was only one purpose in life that everyone could agree upon. He wrote that human beings “thrive for happiness” and that “they want to become happy and remain so” (Freud, p. 15). Happiness is used to relieve pain and to avoid experiences that are not pleasurable. At the same time, there is a competing goal of wanting to reach a strong feeling of pleasure. Freud termed this experience as the Pleasure Principle. Freud felt that there was one drawback to satisfying the pleasure principle. If happiness is constantly achieved through sudden pleasure then that pleasure is no longer desired. When this occurs, Freud believed that happiness becomes achievable only from avoiding suffering. This avoidance of suffering he termed as the Reality Principle.

What is the relationship between civilization and individual suffering?
Freud believed that humans suffer in three ways. First we suffer from our weak and feeble human bodies. Second, we suffer from nature’s fury and our inability to control nature. Third, we suffer from social relations which limit our individual achievement of satisfaction. The social world comes with rules, mores, limits, and our inability to control mass happiness. Something that makes one person happy may come at the price of suffering for another. Freud saw this conflict as an extension of the inner struggle, or tensions, played out on a communal stage.

Why does Freud object to “love thy neighbor?”
In regards to “love thy neighbor as thy self”, Freud asks “why should we behave in this way” (Freud, p.57). Freud felt as though this statement imposed duties on him which would require sacafices. Also, Freud believed that if he was to love another person then that person must be deserving of his love. If Freud could find love for himself reflected back from another then that person deserved his love. Sacrifices to someone who an individual saw as an ideal version of themselves was aceptalbe to Freud. To love a stranger in the “universal” way that the statement implies way was unaceptable for Freud. Therefore Freud objected to loving all of his neighbors, or human beings in general, as himself.

According to Freud, how does racism and prejudice emerge?
According to Freud, prejudice and racism emerge from our aggressive nature. This idea also concurs with Freud’s rejection of “love thy neighbor”. Freud believes that man was not made for love, but instead made for aggression. Freud argues that man has proven time and again that he will humiliate, manipulate, exploit, abuse, and kill for his own ambitions. The two biggest ambitions are hunger and love according to Freud. These ambitions transfer to society in the form of groups. As civilization grows, groups will battle each other to achieve meet their needs. Freud was a witness to the horrors of nationalism and racism associated with World War One.

How does civilization control human aggression?
As civilizations develop there is a need to control the individual’s aggressive and sexual tendencies. Freud saw aggression and sexual instincts as intractably intertwined. Freud writes that primitive societies largely ignored this idea. However as primitive societies evolved, rules norms, and laws emerged for the purpose of suppressing the will to indulge in our aggressive nature. Freud believed that this repression leads to unhappiness and that eventually civilization would fail as individuals gave into their instincts.

William M. Wood

Bibliography
Freud, S. a. (1989). Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: WW Norton.