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farrahrotman's review against another edition
5.0
the title suggests a broad scope but late-career freud was a master of the simple concept explained simply. what foucault says in 500 million pages freud distills down into 5 and with laser-sharp accuracy.
tsharris's review against another edition
2.0
Almost unreadable. I don't think Freud and Freudianism have aged well, and while there are some interesting philosophical jottings in here about what civilization does to the individual psyche, the overall framework is outmoded. I do wonder what Freud would say now that we live in a time in which many of the strictures that "civilization" imposed on individuals in his time - against sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, etc. - have fallen and which he so rightfully criticized as producing neuroses and disorders. People don't seem to be any happier despite living in a more permissive, "freer" civilization (see the oeuvre of David Foster Wallace on this).
trekbicycles's review against another edition
3.0
The more I sit with it, the more I disagree with it. Among my gripes: infantilizing the oceanic feeling, women as objects, human tendency towards violence, etc. etc. Also contributes to an ongoing theory I have that at a certain age all male scholars decide they need to act superfluously (& not at all authentically) humble and exert a grand theory of why-things-are.
fractaltexan's review against another edition
2.0
The book was something of a doozy for me to read. The concept was on ego, but most of his argument went over my head. An interesting read, though.