"Civilization and its Discontents," chapters 5 and 6

In chapters five and six of Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud continues to explore the conflict between the desire for individuality and the expectations of society. The vital tension between civilization and the individual, Freud writes, is grounded in the notion that humans have certain primitive, immutable instincts.

In chapter five Freud assumes a genuine and irreducible aggressive drive exists within all human beings. And while society can use the love instinct (Eros) to bind its members together, the aggressive instinct runs counter to this tendency and must either be repressed or directed against a rival culture. There is permanent ill-will within us; civilization primarily exists to restrain these impulses.

In chapter six Freud separates the concept of libido into two distinct instincts: the object-instinct of Eros and the ego-instinct of Thanatos. It may be difficult to accept a view of human nature as being predisposed towards death and destruction, but Freud reasons that the suppression of this instinct is the true cause behind civilization's need for restrictions. Life and civilization develop out of an eternal struggle between these two interpersonal forces of love and hate.

Please read chapters five and six of Civilization and Its Discontents (*.pdf pages 52 – 66.) The reading is about 6,000 words and may take 30 to 40 minutes to read. The Internet Archive has a theatre view of the work. Chapter five begins on page 82 of the *.pdf; chapter six begins on page 97 of the *.pdf. Additional *.pdfs are available here and here.

YouTube is flooded with videos about this work, so if you find videos helpful, go check them out. Searching on “Sigmund Freud” in YouTube also returns many results—this one (“Exploring the Unconscious”) seems particularly useful.

The meeting space is small; about 16 to 18 people can attend. For this reason, if you have signed up but do NOT plan to attend, please edit your attendance and let us know. We appreciate your help.