Condensation and Condescension in Dreams and History
Essay - From Sigmund Freud to E P Thompson
by
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Psychoanalysis remains vulnerable and partially solipsistic until, it’s marvelous and unique technique of Interpretation of "Word" and "Imagery" Its method of Archeological excavation to re construct history is not integrated into revolutionary concerns of Marxism or interpretation of History. E. P. Thompson’s ‘The Making ...’ has brought Psychoanalysis into the Mainstream of History. By integrating and recasting numerous psychoanalytic concepts, Subject of investigation (Human experience and imagination) Thompson has made history more perceptible and alive. The common ground between Psychoanalysis and History has been stressed by various thinkers. "Both history and psychoanalysis are sciences of memory ... and ...thus seem destined to collaborate in fraternal search for the truth about the past." But it was EPT alone did away with the Paradox between archeology and phenomenology. Daniel Pick on the unwritten history of psychoanalysis in In my view, as a psychoanalyst and a historian, the skills and insights of the historian are indispensable to the kind of inquiry into fluctuating cultural attitudes that we require before drawing conclusions about Freud's impact in I have attempted to summarize and grasp unique contributions made by Interpretation of Dreams the founding work in the areas of Imagination and Historical Research. At the same time I have not forgotten the warning from Karl Marx. "What is to be thought of a science which remains aloof from this enormous field of Human Work? Of a science which does not recognize its own inadequacy, so long as such a great wealth of Human activity means nothing to it. --" . However Freud not far off from the truth in his understanding of ‘Neurosis’ as a mental product at the root of which lies the ‘sundering’ of sexuality and human work, refusal of sexual instincts to follow the laws of civilization. We are reminded of identical fundamental formulation by Karl Marx., when he says at the root of crisis of capitalism lies the ‘sundering of use value of a commodity and its exchange value. The fundamental aspect ignored by the political economy! What S. Freud calls as secondary repression can now also be understood as sedimentation and internalization of process of capital accumulation and immense progress human collective labour achieved under the force of repression and which works like guiding channel for all human collective expressions right from Art to Social Revolution. It’s breakdown or crisis, which S. Freud faced and could not comprehend during his latter years ( Discontent under Civilization) merely demonstrates inadequacy of Human Science which falls short of addressing to Human collective work. S. Freud knew it well that out of three contestants of
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About the Book
What is this Book about,
This book is about detailed exploration of fascinating techniques of interpretation and handling of resistances discovered by Sigmund Freud in interpretation of Human experience through a gateway called 'dreams' and claims that the same techniques if and when contextualized, are fundamentally relevant and applicable for research and interpretation of the lost, unknown or repressed experiences in human history.
While reviewing E.P. Thompson’s work, The making of the English working classes, Author discovers that, the process of repression and resultant processes of condescension and condensation are common to both Dreams and Human History. Further, Author claims that E.P. Thompson’s research techniques and research methods in 'The making.. .....' intended for rescuing the human experiences, resonates the Freudian technique of interpretation.
Author struggles to answer the question, but how techniques of psychoanalysis which remains ‘aloof from the enormous field of human work’ and which has been identified as ‘a-historical’ science can be compatible with those of E.P. Thompson’s techniques of interpretation of experiences in Human History?
Essay explores for its answer and concludes that E.P. Thompson’s ‘Making.. paves the way for integration and interactions between two distinct disciplines of Sciences and their mutual enrichments.
The relationship between Freudian theory and interpretation of dreams and E.P. Thompson's efforts in 'The Making of the English Working Classes' has not been so closely dealt with in last fifty years.
About the Author
Author intends to spread the message that Sigmund Freud and E.P. Thompson should both be seen retrospectively as crusaders of recovery of the Human Experience, from the condensation and condescension it has suffered at the hands of the regime of repression. Though coming from different scientific disciplines and in search of key to the emancipation of human experience and reason, one is astound to discover that both possessed identical technique and method of Investigation of the ethos and complimented Historical Research.
Their techniques, novel and creative, when viewed as providing formidable powers to Science of Marxism will answer the question “What is History from Below” and will make us to understand the deeper meanings of the Prophetic words of Jean Hyppolite:
"It is only when ordinary consciousness recognizes itself in Philosophical consciousness and the latter in the former that, Psychoanalysis will be achieved, that science will be alive and ordinary Consciousness will be scientific."
Anil Gokhale is an amateur writer and has keen interest in observing the vast explosion in scientific knowledge over last century in different disciplines all over the world but which has still remained beyond human control and reach.
As Engineering Graduate and with Marketing Post Graduation with three decades of experience still carries the influence of the ‘New Left’ founded in early sixties of Twentieth Century in Europe and hopes that the coming generation seize the new opportunities to respond to the call of the modern epoch given by the modern crusaders of Human Emancipation.