Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity in Modern Philosophy and Psychoanalysis

240 Pages·1997·9.817 MB·English

by  Roger Frie

Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity
in Modern Philosophy and
Psychoanalysis
A Study ofS artre, Binswanger,
Lacan, and Habermas
Roger Frie
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
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ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
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Copyright © 1997 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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British Cataloging in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Frie, Roger, 1965-
Subjectivity and intersubjectivity in modern philosophy and psychoanalysis: a
study of Sartre, Binswanger, Lacan, and Habermas I Roger Frie.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8476-8416-8
I. Subjectivity-History-20th century. 2. Intersubjectivity-History-20th
century. I. Title.
BD222.F74 1997
12 6-dc20 96-38798
ISBN 0-8476-8415-6 (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN 0-8476-8416-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Printed in the United States of America
e""
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
For Emily

Contents
Preface vii
List of Abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
Consciousness, Language, and Metaphor 2
The Deconstruction of Subjectivity 7
Intersubjectivity, Subjectivity, and Language 10
Chapter 1
Situating Sartre and Binswanger:
Between Philosophy and Psychoanalysis 21
The Existential-Analytic Framework 22
Subjectivity and Otherness after Freud 25
Chapter 2
Jean-Paul Sartre: Reconstructing the Subject 35
Dividing the Subject 37
Heidegger and the Prereflective Cogito 43
Intersubjective Relations and the Look 52
Master and Slave 54
Human Sociality and Interpersonal Conflict 59
Love and Separateness 65
Chapter 3
Ludwig Binswanger: The Primacy of Relation 75
Heidegger and Intersubjectivity 77
Ontology or Anthropology? 82
The Self in Relation 88
The Phenomenology of Love 92
Self-Realization through the Other 101
The Logic of Reflection 106
Chapter 4
Sartre and Binswanger: Speaking Subjects 117
The Linguistic Turn 119
Language and Self-Consciousness 123
Subjectivity and World Disclosure 127
The Self in Communication 134
Language and Reciprocal Love 138
Silence and Poetry 143
Metaphor and Aesthetic Experience 147
Chapter 5
Jacques Lacan and Jiirgen Habennas:
From Subjectivity to Intersubjective Speech 159
Lacan and the Structures of Subjectivity 160
Structuralism and the Symbolic Order 164
Subjectivity and the Aporias of Reflection 168
Love in the Imaginary and Symbolic 171
Habermas on Communicative Rationality 177
G. H. Mead and Linguistic Interaction 181
Intersubjectivity and the Extralinguistic 186
Conclusion 197
Bibliography 211
Index 221
About the Author 229
Preface
Much recent philosophical and psychoanalytic debate centers upon the
nature of the human self and subjectivity. Though philosophers and
psychoanalysts alike seek to understand the self and its relation to others,
more often than not they are divided by disciplinary boundaries that
stand in the way of a productive exchange of ideas. There is, however, a
tradition of intellectual thought, particularly in continental Europe, which
freely combines insights from philosophy and psychoanalysis. By
drawing on the work of philosophers and psychoanalysts within this
tradition, this book explores the interrelated themes of subjectivity,
intersubjectivity, language, and love.
In examining a range of theorists whose work often bridges the gap
between philosophy and psychoanalysis, I will discuss the issues of
subjectivity and intersubjectivity on both an epistemological and a
developmental level. I have written this book in the belief that the
analysis of subjectivity and intersubjectivity will benefit from
recognizing the necessary interconnectedness that exists between these
different treatments of the human self. Distinctions between
epistemological and developmental approaches to the self, though
important, are in reality difficult to maintain. It is preferable, in my
opinion, to see philosophical and psychoanalytic explorations of the self
and subjectivity as interrelated, rather than as separate or opposed
spheres of inquiry. Although this work is chiefly philosophical in scope,
it is my hope that it will enable others to recognize the considerable
parallels between philosophy and psychoanalytic theory.
The arguments put forth in this book were developed over a number
of years and with the help of many people. I am indebted above all to
Andrew Bowie for his insights, constructive criticism, and friendship. I
would like to express my gratitude to Malcolm Bowie, Hans-Jiirgen
Braun, Manfred Frank, Max Herzog, Nick Jardine, and Irving Singer, all
of whom read and commented on parts of the manuscript at various
stages of my work. Dieter Binswanger kindly permitted me the use of the
Binswanger Archive at the University of Tiibingen. Along the way,
William J. Richardson, whose work continues to develop the links
between philosophy and psychoanalysis, provided valuable assistance
and advice. In developing an approach to subjectivity and
intersubjectivity that departs from dominant perspectives, lowe
intellectual debts to the work of Manfred Frank and Michael Theunissen.
Though Frank's writings on individual subjectivity and Theunissen's
work on 'the other' are in certain ways opposed, I believe that the
juxtaposition of their ideas has proven particularly productive. I hope that
my discussion can help to increase interest in the works of Frank and
Theunissen, which remain largely untranslated.
I would especially like to thank Anne Finell, David Kahane, Jai
Ramaswamy, and Philip Sabes for their friendship and for many
inspiring conversations. My parents, Hans and Heide Frie, helped
immeasurably throughout. lowe a special debt of gratitude to Emily
Marden for her insight, support, and wit, without which this project
surely would not have been completed.
The following institutions provided assistance during the course of
my work: Trinity College, Cambridge, the Overseas Research
Scholarship, and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust at Cambridge
University. Teaching the history and theory of psychoanalysis at Harvard
University provided me with the environment and support necessary to
finish the project. Permission to quote was kindly granted by the
following publishers: Roland Asanger Verlag for Ludwig Binswanger,
Grundformen und Erkenntnis menschlichen Daseins. Heidelberg: Roland
Asanger, 1993; Philosophical Library for Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and
Nothingness. New York: Philosophical Library, 1956.
Wherever possible, reference has been made to accessible English
editions of texts that first appeared in other languages. However, I have
frequently revised existing translations, and have provided my own
translations of Ludwig Binswanger's writings.
RogerFrie
New York City
August 1996