The Future Of An Illusion Essay - 1664 Words

An Analysis of The Future of an Illusion In Sigmund Freud’s famous philosophical work titled The Future of an Illusion, he uses psychoanalysis to explain the origins of the concept of God. He presents valid arguments as to why God is merely a concept created by humans to answer frustrating questions about life in a satisfying way, and the work seems to be sound in its entirety. However, there is an important weakness in Freud’s reasoning in that if God is meant to create order in the universe, why does the thought of Him create conflict, fear, and contradiction? Furthermore, though his psychoanalytic explanation provides fascinating answers to why people believe in God, it cannot demonstrate that God definitely does not exist. Famous for his theories of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud asserted that all human behavior could be boiled down to sexual and aggressive desires. In this particular book, he explains that humans created civilization to prevent conflict, since there would be chaos if humans were allowed to express their natural sexual and aggressive tendencies without a higher power telling them that was wrong. â€Å"The principal task of civilization†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he states, â€Å" †¦ is to defend us against nature (Pg. 15). However, while a civilization governed by human beings may help protect its members from murder, rape, stealing, cheating, etc., it is not capable of protecting its members from natural disasters and the reality of death. Moreover, civilization itself causes problemsShow MoreRelatedThe Future of an Illusion by Freud Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesThe Future of an Illusion by Freud In his book The Future of An Illusion, Freud (1928) struggled to create a theory that would distinguish morality from religion so that people would still be able to know right from wrong even if they did not believe in a God. According to Freud, humans belonged to civilization to control nature and to regulate human relations. However, Freud claimed that humans have often paid a great price for civilization; this price, he believed, was neurosis. ConsequentlyRead More Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesFuture of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud In his book Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud utilizes his method of psychoanalysis on religion by comparing the relationship between human and religion to that of a child and his parents. Freud effectively demonstrates that religion is a product of the human mind. After exposing religion as a an illusion, Freud concludes that humanity will be better off when it has forgone religion. This paper will argue that Freuds assertion that religion is an illusionRead MoreSigmund Freud The Future Of An Illusion Analysis1199 Words   |  5 PagesFreud gives his insights about what he defines as religion and how the societal neurosis called religion can be expunged from our lives. Freud, in his book The Future of an Illusion gives his psychoanalytical theory in trying to explain religion and postulates that the phenomenon called religion is an imagination, a mere illusion that goes beyond questioning. He suggests that science will provide us with knowledge and explanations to do away with the religious neurosis and live a life where scienceRead MoreIn The Future Of An Illusion, Sigmund Freud Gives A Genealogical1541 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud gives a genealogical account of religion in which he describes the religious illusion being born out of mankind’s inherent state of helplessness. Religion sedates the masses through a childlike neurosis, where deity plays the role of the surrogate father, offering protection and comfort, allowing culture to maintain the status quo. However, despite the significant role of the religious illusion for both society and the individual, Freud is optimistic thatRead Moreillusive religions: Sigmund Freuds The Future of an Illusion1449 Words   |  6 PagesIn Sigmund Freud’s, The Future of an Illusion, he studies religious foundations and the influence of religion on civilization and social principles. As he explores the psychological depths relating to religion, he also portrays a sc ientific and rational civilization. In turn, he reveals his hope for an ideal world where humans surpass their feelings of helplessness and insignificance to live in an improved civilization based on reason and the increase of knowledge. Through his analysis and ideasRead MoreComparison Between Brave New World and Freuds Future of an Illusion1640 Words   |  7 PagesFreud and the Brave New World: Science can replace religion as a means of creating a stable civilization. This is what Sigmund Freud believes, and this is what Aldous Huxley tries to prove. Freud in his Future of an Illusion states that religion allows men to act according to reason, and not their instincts. People are taught with a religious background and are taught about a balance of crime and punishment. Punishment will be cast upon men if men are unable to control their instincts and commitRead MoreConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In thisRead More Lost Illusions, Bitter Wisdom and Fragile Hope in The Tempest1274 Words   |  6 PagesLost Illusions, Bitter Wisdom and Fragile Hope in The Tempest   Ã‚   Is Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, a drama of lost illusions, bitter wisdom and fragile hope? Before this question can be considered, one first has to interpret these terms. Perhaps bitter wisdom and fragile hope are fairly simple concepts to understand, lost illusions is somewhat less clear, particularly in the case of The Tempest.    There are three main interpretations of lost illusions that could be madeRead MoreReality And Illusions : The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1211 Words   |  5 PagesReality and Illusions Struggling with the separation of reality and an illusion, the characters in The Great Gatsby lived lives of deceit, which were not all as fabulous as they may have appeared. Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker were just a few examples of people, who were seemingly flawless and content, but truly they were lost, chasing after a dream they could never grasp. Jay Gatsby was a man obsessed with a dream of love and wealth. In his mind, Gatsby created an unattainable illusionRead MoreEssay about Perceptions of Time in Great Gatsby664 Words   |  3 Pagesbroken into the past, present and future. Since we only live in the present forever in preparation for our futures and dreams, when we try to live in the past it restricts our future. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby wasted time and his life for a single dream, and it was his illusion of his idyllic future that made time a key dimension in his life. Fitzgerald sees life in satiric-tragic dimensions, as a contest between romantic illusion and coarse reality. The reality