Marx and Freud

285 Pages·2015·2.76 MB·English

FREUD AND MARX

FRE un AND MARX
A DIALECTICAL STUDY
by
REUBEN OSBORN
witha n introducbtiyo n
JOHN STRACHEY
EQUINOCXO -OPERATIPVREE SISN C.
NEW YORK
To
DORIS PHILIP
AND
Printed inG reaBtr itain
INTRODUCTION
A COMPARATSITVUED Y
oft hed octrinoefs
Marxa ndF reudh aso ftebne end emandebdy
free-lacnrciet iocfMs a rxismT.h esec ritihcasv e
nevesrh owann yi nclinattoiu onnd ertatkheew ork,
howevenro;r i st hitso b er egrettfeodrt, h eo nly
qualificaftoirto hnet aswkh icmho sto ft hemh ave
posseshsaesdb eena niceblayl anciegdn oranocfe
bothd isciplines.
Int hem eanwhiMlaer xishtasv et endetdod ismiss
psycho-anatlhyetoiracys u nwortohfya ttentIito n.
may be doubtedh,o weveri,ft hef oundeorfs
Marxism woulda dhoapvteet dh iast tituFdrei.e d­
ricEhn gelisnp articumlaadrei th ibsu sinteosp sa ss
inr evieewv ermya josrc ientdiefivce lopmwehnitc h
occurrdeudr inhgi sl ifetiImtme a.y bet haitf h e
coulhda vlei veadn othtewre ntyye arhsew oulndo t
haveo mittteodc onsidtehrew orkosf F reudT.h is is
nott os uggetshta tE ngelwso uldh avea ccepted
Freuditahne oriyn i tesn tireOtny t.h ec ontrary,
we cani maginteh ec austaincd i ronisce ntences
witwhh icthh agtr eatoefsa tlp lo lemiwsotusl hda ve
6 FREDU AND MARX
poinotueitdt osn e-scihdaerda BcuttIe c ra.n not
helbpe lietvhiaEntng g ewlosu lndom orhea ve
neglecFtreedu dd'iss covine rtiheefis e lodf
psychotlhoaghnye n egletchtede ids covoefri es
Darwoirno fM orgiannt hfiee lodfsb ioloorgy
anthropTohlaootgl eyda. g wloeu lhda vsew ooped
upotnh inse wm aterailaslao n,dw oulhda ve
digeisttc,er di tiictsi,is feitdte .d
NorI,a mc onvinwcoeudlE,dn gehlasvf eia led
tofi ndi nF reuwdo'rsdk a twah ichhew oulhda ve
hailaesod ft huet moismtp ortfaron ctdehe ev elop­
menotfM arxisFmo.Er n gehlism sueslecfdo ncepts
frow hicthh dea tdai scovbeyr eFdrw eeurdte o
provtihdneee cessscaireync toinfificr maWhtoi,o n.
froe xampwlreo,tt heid se scriopftt hioeor ni ginal
fromo fh umasno ci:e" tByu?tm ututaoll erance
of gtrhoew n mferaeldeofrsmo, m j aelouwsayts,h e
firscto ndiftroi otnfhro em atoifol na ragnedp er­
manegnrto .up"Is st haiq su otafrtoimoF nr eud's
well-kwnoorwkTn,o taenmTd a buO?n t hceo n­
trairtiys, q uao taftorimoE nn geTlhsOe' r iojg in
ThFea miPlyr:i vPartoepa enrtdtyh S et aptueb,l ished
in1 891.O ra,g aiiwnta, s EnngoeFtlr se,u d, who
explaaim naend'o st heriwniesxep loipcianbiloen s
bys ayitnhga" tht er eamlo tiivmepse lhliimn g
remauinnk notwohn i m. .h en.ch eei magines
flasoer appmaortei"nv tAe nsdE. ngegloseo snt o
INTROCDTUION
7
descrtihbeefs laes aen da pparmeontti vfroe s
holdpianrgt iocpuilnainroo nitsn ,d eaesrd a tional­
isatibountas s", an ideo"l owghyic,hha db een
adoptneodit,n deuendc onscbiuowtui stl"hya ,
flasceo nsci"o1 u sness.
Canw ed oubt atnhyaowtnh eo h adh adt he
genituoas r raitvse u ccho ncepatsti hoenwssoe u ld
havbee epnr ooufndilnyt erwehsetanew de alotfh
scientiofibcsaelrdlvayet dea x,a cctolnyfi rming
themw,a sp rodubcyeF dr e;uw dhetnh ere ap­
pearceodn cluesviivdee ncseh owtt hoa t the
" mututaoll eratnhcgeer oowmfna lehsa"d i,n
fcatb,e etnh kee qyu estiinto hnee a rlhiuemsatn
soci;eo trwi heesinwt a ssh owtnh aitwt a pso ssible
actuatlorl eyv etahlo usnek norwne,am lo tives
whicwhe ruen conscoiro fula"ss lceyo ,n sc"i ously,
impelmleintn ogh old paorptiinc?iu olnasr
Ther elatioofMn asrhxiipts opm s ycho-analytic
theoirshy,o wevaef rrab, i gger qtuheatsnht aito n
oft haen ticiphaotwieovsnetsrr, i okifFn rgi,e drich
EngeNlosr.i st hetrheel eadsotu btth atth ese
sciencdeisr eaocprtpelo ys Tihtee .q ueissat,ri eo n
thedyi aleocptpiocsaDilot t ehse?ty h,ai tst os ay,
by meoaftn hse iro pvpeorsyi tbeyn emseosaf,n s
thesihra rpclotynr adiccthoarrya cter, provide,
1 Engellest'tt oeM re hriMnagr,)C-E ngeC/osr responpd.5e 1ncI e(,M artin
Lawrence).
8 FREUD AND MARX
whetna kteong etjhsuettrh ,au tn iotfoy p posini tes
whicMha,ra xn Edn geblesl ierveeadlc,ia atnly one
bea dequadteeslcyr ibed?
Inp artidcout lhaperu ,r eelmyp irfiincdailon fg s
thaen albyosttchso nfirmm atihgnee n eralisations
ofM arxiasnmda tt hes amtei mseu pplement
andm aksep ectihfiecgs een eraliisnsa otmieo ns
imporrteasnpt?e cts
I beltiheaivtnte h bioso Mkr .O sbohrants a ken
afi rssttet opw asrhdosw tihnatgth eyH edi os. able
tos hofwro, examplpes,y chtoh-aathn aasl,y sailsl
unknotwoin t s,e lpfrovided oevveirdwehneclem ing
oft hvea liodfti htmeya ipnr incoifdp ilaelse ctical
materiAashl aiosstf me.bn e eonb seravlerdet ahdey ,
pureelmyp irfiincdailn ogfts h ea nalymsatkse
nonseo,nfo srae l ternaartneio vnesleyn se according
tot,h oel defrorm,a llloyg iosrta,is cM ,a raxn d
Engelst ocu asiletmld,e taphywsaiyoc fta hli,n. k ing
It triuste h attha en alynsetvhsea,rv ihnega orfd
dialecmtaitcearli acloinstmit,nolua ec cetphte
metaphycsaitceagloo frt iheosu gHhetn.ct eh eir
inabitlodi etawyli tthh eo,nt heoiwrnp remises,
irurteafbolbej ecttoia olnmsoe svte croyn coefp t
psycho-apnuatlf roywsairsbd,y t he academic
philosoTphhece ornsc.e opft sa naalryeos,ni s
1 Thism ay notb et ruoef t hey oungeGre rmana nalysbtsu,ti ti sa lmost
literatlrluyeo fr epresentBartiitvieas nha lysatnsd,,f ort hatm attero,f
Freudh imself.
INTRODUCTION 9
theb asoifsf romalu,n dialelcotgiiflccaa,tl l y
se-lcfontraTdhiebc atsocirocyn .co eftp htde y namic
unconsictis,oue uplsof n wehviecrhy etlhrisenesg t s,
isf,or mt hset andpooffi ronmtal lo gniocn,s ense.
Fort,ha ec adepmhiicl ospoopihoneutrte s,i ther
a
mank nowsso metohrhi end go enso: tt heorreiefit s
nonsenssaeya ,sFt roe uddo etsh,aa t m anb oth
knowats h ianngdd o ensok tn oiw:t t hahtek nows
iatn yde itns o cto nscoifio tu.s
I itsa lvle rwye lflro F reusdi mptlody i smiss
thesojebc eitonass i,n M r.O sborpnh'rsa se,
" piffli"n Pgi.fflitnhgea yr efro,t heayr ceo ntrary
too bserrveeadlF irteyhu.ado s b seravnehdda n,so w
tauguhsat l tloo bsetrhvfeeca ,tt haatm ano ften
doebso tkhn oawn d knnoottw h sea mteh ianttg h e
samtei m;te hahtek nowistu nconsc;ti hoauts ly
heh atsh ken owleadngdte h,a tth iksn owledge
powrueflliyn fluehnictseh so ugahntdas c tibounts ,
thahted oensok tn otwh ahteh aistA .l l this is now
establbiysc hoemdm oonb servathiuonnd red
a
timoevse Irtw. a si no rdteord esctrhiebfsecae t s
thaFtr ehuadtd o fr omultahtceeo ncoeftp htde y ­
namuincconsBcuiwtohuaFstr. e fuiadl teood b serve
wast haitne stablisnhaimnigtn hgae fnscadeth se
droavc eo aacnhfd uo rt hrosuugcfihhr psrti ncoifp les
fromallo gaitsc h oatfth eex cluoscfio onnt radictions­
thper inctihpaatlt he i cnagn nboottb hea nndo bte.
10 FREDU AND MARX
Som ucht hew orsfeo rl ogiFcr,e uhdas implied,
witha shruogf h ise mpirischaolu ldeBrust.- and
herFer euhda ss hownh imseal tfy picsacli enotisft
hisc laasnsd g enerationh-ahsne o ts eetnh aotn ce
onel ogiocn,e w ayo ft hinkihnags,s hatteirtesde lf
upont her ockosf o bserverde aliittyi ,su rgently
incumbeunpto nu st or eplaictwe i tha notheFro.r ,
unlewsesd os ow,e a rec ompellteogd o o nu sintgh e
oldl ogiwch,i cnho longefirt st hef actasn,d s ot o
geto urselivnetsio n extriccaobnlfeu siMoonr.e over,
beforFer eudb eganh isw orkt hereex istae wda y
oft hinkiwnhgi chf ullayl lowefdo rj ustth osceo ­
existiinngt,e rpenetcroanttirnagd icwthiicohn tsh e
analyshtasv ef ountdo a bounidn t hes tructoufr e
mentarle aliItnya . w ordd,i alectimcaatle rialism
rationale
providtehseo nlyp ossible oft hefi ndings
of psycho-analwyhsiilset; h esfien dingmso,r e
especisailnlctyeh ehya vbee einn dependemnatdley,
provitdheem osts trikicnogn firmatyieoton b tained
oft hev alidoiftd yi alectmiactaelr ialism.
Mr.O sbornt'esn tahn de levencthha ptesrsh ow
howt hew holoef t hefi ndinogfsp sycho-anaalryes is
shotth rouagnhd t hrouwigthh d ialecticcoanlc epts.
The trutihs t hatt hea nalyshtasv es uffereMd.
Jourdainm'iss fortutnhee:y h ave beteanlki ng
dialectmiactaelr ialfioysrem a rwsi thokunto winigt .
Isi tn ott imteh atth eiart tentiond rawwants o this