book review

Read a review on the last days of Sigmund Freud, its sideline goes like: danger surrounded Freud in Nazi-occupied Austria, why did it take him so long to see it? The book by Andrew Nagorski, Saving Freud: the rescuers who brough him to freedom, offered to tackle this question in 1938.

Whatever controversy brought by psychoanalysis, Freud knew the dark undercurrent of human behavior and he was critical of the false security offered by our wishful illusions. As an expert of human nature, he was unable to think clearly when his coutry became so unrecognizable around him. These cognition bias are built-in. What is our chance if we are in the similar situation?

A few interesting excerpt of this review are as follows:

Auden said that “to us he is no more a person / now but a whole climate of opinion.”

“I cannot face with comfort the idea of a life without work,” proclaimed Freud, “In the words of King Macbeth, let us die in harness.”

When the family finally got their visas, Freud was asked to sign a statement swearing that he had not been treated poorly. He did, and penned an addendum: “I can heartily recommend the Gestapo to everyone.” Once again, this is classic Freud—ironic to the end.

Cai Zongqi

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