First published in German in 1927 and in English in 1928, "The Future of an Illusion" is Sigmund Freud's seminal work on the psychology of religion in which Freud discusses the history of and psychological basis for religion. Chief amongst the arguments of the work is that religion is ultimately the result of the psychological struggle against the ultimate fate of life, death. So strong is the desire to give meaning to life that our ancestors created their various myths long ago. Freud further explains the psychological ...
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First published in German in 1927 and in English in 1928, "The Future of an Illusion" is Sigmund Freud's seminal work on the psychology of religion in which Freud discusses the history of and psychological basis for religion. Chief amongst the arguments of the work is that religion is ultimately the result of the psychological struggle against the ultimate fate of life, death. So strong is the desire to give meaning to life that our ancestors created their various myths long ago. Freud further explains the psychological desire to bring about order in a chaotic world and the consequential demand for an organizing force that gives power to religion. Once empowered organized religion perpetuates itself through the strength of tradition and a culture which penalizes doubt, Freud argues. A clearly atheistic polemic against religion, "The Future of an Illusion" presents some compelling arguments for the phenomenon of religion and what future place there might be for it in a modern society. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 44 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Can't complain. The book arrived promptly in the reported condition.
Ayzed
Sep 24, 2009
Concise and Hits at the Heart of the Matter
I decided to buy this book after having seen it referenced by many contemporary thinkers (e.g. Daniel Dennett) in their books. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian psychiatrist, writes about mankind's struggle with religion and considers what civilization or society would be like if weaned of it. His arguments - bear in mind this book was first published in 1927 - are of the kind a modern-day informed atheist might secretly wonder. I found myself nodding in agreement with a number of Freud's matter-of-fact observations about religion.
For example, he says that mankind will likely focus their energies and learn to adapt to the (harsh) realities of this life if they withdrew their expectations from the vacuous promises of the hereafter. The style of writing is clear but a little weird at times, especially when he pretends to be another party and questions himself on the ideas being argued. In summary, Freud appears to have believed that mankind, in the not-too-distant future will have found a way to go about his daily life without believing in gods or the supernatural and that science will have a significant role in it. I particularly like the last paragraph of the book which states: "No, our science is no illusion. But an illusion it would be to suppose that what science cannot give us we can get elsewhere."
At 67 pages the size of Reader's Digest magazine (not including the biographical introduction), this little blue book is moderate-level reading for anyone interested in the psychology of religious beliefs. It is also a nice addition to any library. I personally, bought this edition because it is rather difficult to find where I live.
