Civilization and Its Discontents

Description

In what remains one of his most seminal papers, Freud considers the incompatibility of civilization and individual happiness, and the tensions between the claims of society and the individual. We all know that living in civilized groups means sacrificing a degree of personal interest, but couldn't you argue that it in fact creates the conditions for our happiness? Freud explores the arguments and counter-arguments surrounding this proposition, focusing on what he perceives to be one of society's greatest dangers; "civilized" sexual morality. After all, doesn't repression of sexuality deeply affect people and compromise their chances of happiness?

Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 and died in exile in London in 1939. As a writer and doctor he remains one of the informing voices of the twentieth century.