All three arguments have died in the minds of many people, under the pressure of intellectual opposition, only to remain alive and well in the minds of many others. It is impossible to refute Freud's theses, too. Being leatherbound is sometimes synonymous with being timebound.įreud's essay rests on three arguments that are impossible to prove: the development of civilization recapitulates the development of the individual civilization's central purpose of repressing the aggressive instinct exacts unbearable suffering the individual is torn between the desire to live (Eros) and the wish to die (Thanatos). "Classic" can mean that an intellectual work is indisputably definitive in its realm, or it can mean that its prestige has outlived its authority and influence. A new edition of a classic text of Western culture is a happy occasion, not least because it offers the opportunity to debate the book's effect on the way we see the world - or whether it has any effect at all. "CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS" first appeared in 1930, and on the occasion of its 75th anniversary has been reissued by Norton ($19.95).
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