The Unconscious Abyss

Jon Mills

Description

Offering the first comprehensive examination of Hegel's theory of the unconscious abyss, Jon Mills rectifies a much neglected area of Hegel scholarship. Mills shows that the unconscious is the foundation for conscious and self-conscious life and is responsible for the normative and pathological forces that fuel psychic development. In addition, Mills illustrates how Hegel's idea of the unconscious abyss transcends his time and is a pivotal concept to his entire philosophical system—one that advances the current understanding of the psychoanalytic mind.

Preface

A Note on the Texts

Introduction

Unconsciousness and the Unconscious
Unconscious Spirit and the Feeling Soul
The Intelligence of the Abyss
The Dialectical Structure of the Unconscious
Hegels 'Theory of Psychopathology
Anticipating the Abyss

1. Retracing the Ungrund

Historical Origins of the Abyss
Boehme's Influence on Hegel
Hegel's Neo-Platonic Sources
The Spectra of Fichte
Enters Schelling
From the Ungrund to the Abyss

2. Unconscious Spirit

On the Structures of the Encyclopaedia Geist
The Epigenesis of Unconscious Spirit
The Anthropological Abyss
Naturalized Spirit
The Desirous Soul
Sentience
Unconscious Feeling
The Actual Soul as Ego
The Logic of the Unconscious
Toward Psychological Spirit

3. Hegel's Philosophical Psychology

Prolegomena to Hegel's Psychology
The Structure of Mind
Hegel's Theory of Consciousness
Psychological Spirit
Comparisons with Psychoanalysis
The Dawn of Decay

4. The Dialectic of Desire

Self-Consciousness Revisited
Desire and Drive
The Throes of Recognition
Neurotic Spirit
Toward the Abnormal

5. Abnormal Spirit

The Ontology of Madness
The Phenomenology of Suffering
The Psychotic Core
The Sick Soul
Unhappy Unconsciousness
Symbiosis and the Absolute

6. Implications for Psychoanalysis: Toward Process Psychology

If Freud Read Hegel
Openings to Mutual Recognition
Toward Process Psychology
Hegel's Dialectic and Process Psychoanalytic Thought
Dialectical Psychoanalysis

Notes

Bibliography

Subject Index

Author Index

Sujets

• Philosophy

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791488171
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE

UNCONSCIOUS

ABYSS

SUNY SERIES IN H EGELIAN S TUDIES

WILLIAM DESMOND, EDITOR

JON MILLS

tHE

UNCONSCIOUS

aBYSS

HEGEL’S ANTICIPATION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

State University of New York Press

Published by S tate U niversity of N ew Y ork P ress A lbany

© 2002 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For more information, address State University of New York Press 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production and book design, Laurie Searl Marketing, Fran Keneston

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Mills, Jon, 1964– The unconscious abyss : Hegel’s anticipation of psychoanalysis / Jon Mills. p. cm. — (SUNY series in Hegelian studies) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0791454754 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0791454762 (pbk. : alk paper) 1. Psychoanalysis and philosophy. 2. Hegel, Georg Wilhem Friedrich, 1770–1831. I. Title. II. Series.

BF175.4.P45 M55 127'.092—dc21

2002

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2002017728

To my parents —ab imo pectore

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PREFACE

Contents

A NOTE ON THE TEXTS

INTRODUCTION Unconsciousness and the Unconscious Unconscious Spirit and the Feeling Soul The Intelligence of the Abyss The Dialectical Structure of the Unconscious Hegel’s Theory of Psychopathology Anticipating the Abyss

RETRACING THE UNGRUND Historical Origins of the Abyss Boehme’s Influence on Hegel Hegel’s NeoPlatonic Sources The Spectra of Fichte Enters Schelling From theUngrundto the Abyss

UNCONSCIOUS SPIRIT On the Structure of theEncyclopaedia Geist The Epigenesis of Unconscious Spirit The Anthropological Abyss Naturalized Spirit The Desirous Soul Sentience Unconscious Feeling The Actual Soul as Ego The Logic of the Unconscious Toward Psychological Spirit

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Six

C o n t e n t s

HEGEL’S PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY Prolegomena to Hegel’s Psychology The Structure of Mind Hegel’s Theory of Consciousness Psychological Spirit Comparisons with Psychoanalysis The Dawn of Decay

THE DIALECTIC OF DESIRE SelfConsciousness Revisited Desire and Drive The Throes of Recognition Neurotic Spirit Toward the Abnormal

ABNORMAL SPIRIT The Ontology of Madness The Phenomenology of Suffering The Psychotic Core The Sick Soul Unhappy Unconsciousness Symbiosis and the Absolute

IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS: TOWARD PROCESS PSYCHOLOGY If Freud Read Hegel Openings to Mutual Recognition Toward Process Psychology Hegel’s Dialectic and Process Psychoanalytic Thought Dialectical Psychoanalysis

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SUBJECT INDEX

AUTHOR INDEX

99

135

159

187

203

237

253

259

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This book attempts to excavate an element of Hegel’s work that has remained virtually buried from visibility within contemporary Hegel scholarship. There has been no extended treatment of Hegel’s theory of the unconscious, and apart from a few passing references, what commentary that does exist is in relation to Hegel’s rather concise remarks about madness orVerrücktheitrevealed mainly in theZusätzeor Additions to hisEncyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences. It is rather ironic that the subject matter itself has eluded philosophical attention especially since it plays such a vital role in Hegel’s philosophy of subjective spirit. The ab sence of any detailed treatment on the topic is no doubt due to the fact that Hegel himself does not directly address the nature of the unconscious with any precision. What few remarks he does make leave the commentator with the chal lenge of determining just how the role of the unconscious fits into his theory of mind and to what extent it may be applied to his overall philosophical system. There seems to be a continued fascination if not a fixation with thePhe nomenology of Spiritdespite the fact that Hegel never considered it to be a cen tral part of his mature philosophy. I should inform the reader up front that this work is not about thePhenomenology, but rather about Hegel’s contribution to understanding the psychodynamics of the mind. As a philosopher and practic ing clinical psychologist trained in the psychoanalytic tradition, I find myself faced with a dual task informed by competing loyalties: namely, to expound with philosophical clarity Hegel’s notion of the unconscious abyss while bring ing it into contemporary discourse with the discipline most commonly associ ated with the advancement of psychodynamic thought. By today’s standards, Hegel’s treatment of subjective spirit constitutes a treatise on psychodynamic psychology, one that merits our serious attention. This is particularly germane given that both philosophy and psychoanalysis remain largely unaware of Hegel’s insights on the dynamic unconscious. Hegel’s theory of the abyss has profound implications for understanding his philosophy of mind. One aim of this project is to spark more general interest in

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