The Philosophical Interpretation Of Freud's Theory Of The Unconscious

The main aim of this dissertation is to interpret Freud's theory of the unconscious and its philosophical significance. As the key content of Freud's doctrine, the theory of the unconscious generalizes his whole doctrine. The theory of the unconscious in this dissertation is discussed from the angle of Freud's whole doctrine. The focal point of the study is to expound Freud's theory of the unconscious philosophically, and to examine the theory's role in the history of Western philosophy, especially in the transitional process of western philosophy from modern to contemporary times, thus to reveal the internal connection in fundamental contents and theoretical tendencies between Freud's theory of the unconscious and Western philosophy and define the status of Freud's theory of the unconscious in the history of Western philosophy. The main arguments of this dissertation are that, speaking philosophically, the theory of the unconscious converges into the trend of contemporary western irrationalism initiated by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. It echoes with the irrational philosophy initiated by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche in the shape of irrational science. The theory of the unconscious is the product of connection and fusion of science and philosophy. It has dual trait of science and philosophy, for the theory is not only formed on the basis of clinical experience but also results from a series of inferences and conjectures, which gives the theory of the unconscious inevitably the quality of empirical hypothesis. The new definition of human being by the unconscious is its outstanding contribution to philosophy. Its philosophical significance lies in that the conscious and the unconscious constitute the human mind together. There is continuity and unity between them. The human mind is a unity, which would become a new starting point for philosophy about human being. Freud discovered and affirmed the governing position of the unconscious after he criticized traditional religion and morality. Freud viewed human being as a subject who generates historically and acts voluntarily, a subject who first makes willing activities, and then conduct cognitive and social activities. The problems left over by the theory of the unconscious are how to rebuild a new kind of morality, and how to reconsider the concept of human being after the veil of the traditional religion and morality has been uncovered. A new kind of morality is commented in the final part of this dissertation. And it is viewed as the greatest enlightenment possibly obtained from Freud's theory of the unconscious: not continually negate and reject the instincts and desires of the unconscious so as to maintain the old perfect and dissociated morality, but face up to and admit the instincts and desires of the unconscious so as to build a new complete and united morality. This is a new challenge that confronts mankind. In addition, an important enlightenment of psychology of the unconscious (or depth-psychology) to philosophy is to develop the philosophical branch, namely psychical philosophy. Because psychology of the unconscious has laid the scientific foundations of psychical philosophy, and the unconscious mind becomes the common subject-matter concerned and studied by psychology and philosophy. The development of psychology of the unconscious would make the relationship closer between philosophy and mind, and then make the psychical dimension more manifest as an important dimension of philosophy.