Freud: The Mind of the Moralist

by Philip Rieff, Susan Sontag

Now a classic, this book was hailed upon its original publication in 1959 as "An event to be acclaimed . . . a book of genuine brilliance on Freud's cultural importance . . . a permanently valuable contribution to the human sciences."—Alastair MacIntyre, Manchester Guardian

"This remarkably subtle and substantial book, with its nicely ordered sequences of skilled dissections and refined appraisals, is one of those rare products of profound analytic thought. . . . The author weighs each major article of the psychoanalytic canon in the scales of his sensitive understanding, then gives a superbly balanced judgement."—Henry A. Murray, American Sociological Review

"Rieff's tremendous scholarship and rich reflections fill his pages with memorable treasures."—Robert W. White, Scientific American

"Philip Rieff's book is a brilliant and beautifully reasoned example of what Freud's influence has really an increasing intellectual vigilance about human nature. . . . What the analyst does for the patient—present the terms for his new choices as a human being—Mr. Rieff does in respect to the cultural significance of Freudianism. His style has the same closeness, the same undertone of hypertense alertness. Again and again he makes brilliant points."—Alfred Kazin, The Reporter

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Psychoanalysis, Sociology

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[alex angelosanto · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Neurosis is the penalty for ambition unprepared for sacrifice"

exhaustive, dizzying analysis of Freud's work and the times he lived in. For the last couple of years, I've been interested in books on psychoanalysis. Some of them good, a lot of them obtuse, but this one by Reiff (or possibly Sontag!) seems to be the book I was reaching for.

This book is critical without being dismissive, and laudatory without being blind. The Mind of the Moralist succeeds in matching Freud's search for the truth by flying past the nets of civilization, tradition, and prudence.

[Jayson Floyd]

I finally understand why all those symbols are so darn phallic.

Really great read. I had almost zero background on Freud going into this, I read Civilization and its Discontents a few months ago but felt like I didn't understand it at all. I feel like this book was exactly what I was looking for in terms of getting a really general overview of Freudian theory, I don't feel like I have a comprehensive grasp on it or anything but I definitely feel like I could read anything related to it and feel like I at least understand what's happening. One thing that I wasn't expecting from this book was how it not only very clearly explicated Freud's thought, but also put it into context with his progenitors as well as contemporaries, I feel like I learned a lot more about Nietzsche and Schopenhauer than I expected. Marxism catches so many strays throughout this book which I thought was funny.

I found the presentation of Freud's theories very balanced and fair. Rieff/Sontag are obviously deeply influenced by Freud but they also don't hesitate to point out some sticking points in his theories and go after particularly weak arguments often. The most hilarious example of this is the part in the sexuality chapter about women, which is just dunking on Freud for 20 pages for being unbelievably, cartoonishly, ridiculously sexist. My man hated women so much it's incredible. The part on dreams and free association was really funny as well. Anything and everything has to be a symbol, absolutely no exceptions. There's a part where Freud makes up an arbitrary number in his head while writing a letter, then goes back to analyze in minute detail why he chose that number specifically, sounding incredibly schizophrenic the whole time. He's like dividing numbers and shit and adding them to each other it's awesome. Also the part where trees in dreams can be interpreted as phallic because they're upright and tall, but also they're women because they bear fruit, but also they're phallic because they're really hard, but also they're women because all materials (wood) are women. So great.

Overall I really appreciated the general argument of the book, which is that Freud is an ethical thinker in the sense that he claimed that only by introducing rationality into the psyche can we balance the demands made on us by our instincts on one side and society on the other, and it's only by being completely honest with ourselves and our pasts that we are able to do so. He doesn't bother with any sort of prospective mode of social organization to ease our neuroses, he really believes it is entirely based on the individual. It's interesting to think about, especially being a Marxist and always looking at things structurally. Freud really challenges you to reflect on the individual over everything else, outlining a rational path to personal liberation and the resolving of neuroses by self-awareness and understanding. Not women though, they can't do that. They are unable.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this twice now and it still surprises me. A really exceptional window into Freud's world-view from the perspective of an academic sociologist. The book essentially reads psychoanalysis as a response to the "death of God", or the modern subjectivisation of all human values and morals. The last chapter was ahead of its time in its prophetic assessment of the role of psychologists in the late 20th C. Far and away Rieff's best work; who the 1960s were not kind to, to put it mildly.

[Mitchell Traver · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style wasn’t my favorite, and the subject matter expectedly dense. Nonetheless, Rieff’s insight is piercing and precise. I learned so much, and diving in with a trusted aid was without question the best way to become acquainted with the work of Sigmund Freud. This book is a wonderful help, and will likely be found both challenging and intriguing all along the way. Nietzsche, Sartre, Freud, and Dostoevsky’s “Grand Inquisitor”…between them there appears to be a remarkable convergence.


“Freud had the tired wisdom of a universal healer for whom no disease can be wholly cured.” (P. 327)

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly deep and insightful. The epilogue, written roughly two decades after the main text, is typical second-phase Rieff: elegantly reactionary and idiosyncratically synthetic, a gnomic fuck-you to countless academic peers. The main body of the book, however, is nothing if not sober, and a masterpiece of exegesis and commentary.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supposedly written by Susan Sontag and stolen by her then-husband. Regardless, Rieff makes a strong case for Freud, like Marx, as a modern-day Jewish atheist Jeremiah railing against the repression and lies of the modern world.

[Sam Seshadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book I've come to think that Freud's "common-place" goals as a psychiatrist are misunderstood. He does not wish to psychoanalyze to tear down one's psyche into mere repressions and pleasure seeking. He wishes to use his framework and psychoanalytic insights as a diagnoses for agency-- so patients learn to control, understand, and express their feelings. Freud is simply a fanatic who expertly rationalizes his doctrine to fit into universal situations that the maturing human finds themselves in.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful book—a true pleasure to read. People simply no longer write with such elegance, erudition and breadth and expanse. Pair the style with subtle and insightful analysis filled with context drawn from at least two centuries of thought and culture and a vast and complete mastery of Freud’s work, and you get a remarkable, unique book that provides a challenging and satisfying reading experience. An education unto itself.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books have one or two ideas and string them out for a couple hundred pages. Then there is the rare book that has mind-blowing ideas on nearly every page. The Mind of the Moralist is definitely in the latter category. I'm not going to bother trying to summarize its main points. If you're considering reading it, read it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. A clear, incisive, critical introduction to Freud's thought. A fair bit of repetition as it draws close to the end, but still an impressively balanced and broad summary of Freud's intellectual legacy.

[Grier · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is obtuse

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

More dense than it needs to be. If you get past the high fallutin' language, it's a helpful and interesting explication, especially strong on the philosophic and sociopolitical significance of Freud's work. Almost ruined by the epilogue (added 20 years after the original publication), which is a not-so-subtle broadside against all the emancipatory currents of the 1960s, second wave feminism, and queer liberation. I write "almost ruined" because one can still learn from this book.

[Mark Lisac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exploration of Freud, his ideas and their significance seems brilliant at times and plausible or suggestive at others, but I'll have to defer to more qualified readers on such technical judgments. What made this book a thorough pleasure to read was the concentrated, page-after-page demonstration of intelligence combined with broad and deep knowledge. It sparkles without visibly showing off. Academic writing can be arcane or weak; Rieff made his tour through Freud's work incisive, stimulating and reasonably clear despite being dense with ideas. Almost called it four-star because working through the tightly packed sentences and thick stream of thoughts makes for hard work. And the book contains so much that remembering significant portions will be difficult. In this case, though, the hard work is worth the effort — so much so that it's head and shoulders above most academic studies I've read.

[Laurie Customer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't make a world of difference, though I had much gratitude for the gift it gave me!!!