This reminds me of the strange term they chose for the materialist revolution, the "enlightenment". I find it so strange they chose that word, while seemingly assassinating and denying the existence of any form of enlightenment at the same time. It's one of those funny but sad things I guess. Jung and Carl Sagan are my current favorites, and I've always enjoyed how Jung shows up over and over again despite his semi-ostracization from the more formal academic sphere. His head always pops up like an annoying neighbor in an 80s sitcom peeking into the window, to remind them of the self-created box they're living in is a flat, horrible representation of what it means to be conscious. They're busy dissecting only half of the sphere, and threw the other half in the trash!
The meaning is somewhat lost in translation. In French it is called “les Lumières”, which literally means “the lights” (as opposed to the perceived darkness of religious dogma).
‘Evidence based’ will hopefully go under the microscope now we’ve seen the cronyism, and monetisation and sleight of hand rampant in ‘peer’ reviews. Although in these days of half man half data receiver, I fear many have the depth to contemplate Jung’s contribution. Ditto Rowan.
Thank you for this. Anyone with a shred of creative spirit and soulful curiosity will not be afraid to align with Jungian Psychology. Our world needs it more than ever.
I completely agree. I’ve been in the field since 1999, I’m a Jungian, and see his work as bringing deeper healing than the “evidenced based practices.” They are useful and can provide mental health stability, but they lack the deeper healing. Jung was tremendously ahead of his time, misunderstood, and I believe that his work doesn’t service the capitalist/colonized ways of healing that have so monetized healing. Jung’s approaches legitimized many cultural/indigenous non-colonized beliefs through legitimizing the spiritual and the psychic. It’s not something that can be controlled, instead it awakens and breaks people away from the Egoic programming of Capitalism. Thank you for sharing this, I am all about bringing back Jung to Psychology and giving him the credit he’s due 🙏🏽💖✨ his work is sooooo layered and fascinating 🤓 I started reading his work at 18 with Memories, Dreams, and Reflections; now I’m 40 and read his work continuously.
Scientific materialism has swung the pendulum too far to one side, eliminating serious discussions of the parapsychological, occult, and esoteric.
Believe me - the pendulum will swing back, it’s already begun its motion. The collective is not willing to forfeit its felt experiences in favor of the “objective” sciences.
I had exactly this conversation with a friend yesterday. So I'm going to chalk my encounter of your article (and my subsequent subscription) up to synchronicity 😉
I have found that people of a literary persuasion and a classical inclination find it much easier to work with Jung, von Franz, Woodman, Shinoda Bolen, Brinton Perera and others… no need to achieve credibility in numbers, but very affectionate towards, in the end, a good story that resonates. And heals, at times, too. Also it's much more fun.
Somewhat of a desperately-missed TLP vibe, which, for all its Lacan-flavored misanthropic genius, left depth psychology grievously untackled (in my book, his only flaw).
It’s not a surprise that the sons of the Enlightenment would be terrified of the dark, yes? The damp and dionysian, that which prodded the Teutonic spirit until the likes of Hegel, Nietzsche and Freud yelled it out, and which was swiftly again smothered by the shiny and mechanical toys that soon arrived. It’s unserious, non-replicable, womanly business - the insurance companies will have none of it, so neither will we. In analytical terms, Father drove us away from the Oedipal nest - and we smothered the Anima for it.
How much of the 'difficultness' is down to Jung's medical training, and that the therapy is an often painful, hard and messy slog through 'you', to find relief, not results?
Or are they just jealous of the illustrations and calligraphy in the Red Book?
One of the foremost and significant modern philosophers, Slavoj Zizek, is a Lacanian psychoanalyst. Love him or hate him, the world of thought must reckon with Zizek. The fact of the matter is the Jungians (not Jung himself) have done a very poor job in developing their own thought and have turned their school into a rather insular, self-interpretive project. Part of the problem is the Jungians cutting off their Freudian roots. Almost every Freudian I have known has read Jung, but few Jungians have read Freud, fewer still take the time to understand him. It as if to them psychoanalysis began in 1913. It leaves them theoretically cut off at the knees and adrift as so much of Jung is responding to Freud which means the context of the arguments are lost. Philosophy does not reach back and revive a school of thought because they deserve it or its their right; Philosophers must assert the school, show their ideas necessity and applicability to current circumstances. It is not a museum, it is an agora. There is plenty of money in Zurich for grants and has been for many generations, but no one has stepped up.
It is so heartening to see this problem articulated so clearly. Jung’s grasp of the reality of all that cannot be quantified or measured is an important issue for science (and psychology, like economics has always been a discipline too much engaged with the unknowable to truly qualify as a hard science). But this culture of the quantifiable is not isolated to academia; it permeates every aspect of our lives and culture today. It is in art as much as it is in science, politics, economics and so many other realms. Its apotheosis can be seen in our rapt infatuation with Artificial Intelligence, a mathematical engine that its most deluded champions propose as the next evolutionary step beyond our hopelessly messy and flawed human version. I wonder what Jung would have had to say about it. I am certain that his insights would have been illuminating, and equally certain that they would have seen him burned at some metaphorical (in not actual) stake for their heresy.
Synchronicity? I was thinking about this, about Jung and the psyche this morning! I'm a fan of Jung, and I've found good grounding in his ideas. I quote him often and am concerned when someone expresses unfamiliarity with him. I always found the quantification of our humanity to be insulting. I've been trying to offer the ideas, the benefits of archetypes, symbols, and the power of the unconscious as things worthy of our attention in order to find ourselves, to address what needs addressing. It's a tough sell. Frustrating because I can see, in certain cases, where some focus on transcendence, on welcoming the unconscious might ease symptoms–telling signs of repressed issues.
This reminds me of the strange term they chose for the materialist revolution, the "enlightenment". I find it so strange they chose that word, while seemingly assassinating and denying the existence of any form of enlightenment at the same time. It's one of those funny but sad things I guess. Jung and Carl Sagan are my current favorites, and I've always enjoyed how Jung shows up over and over again despite his semi-ostracization from the more formal academic sphere. His head always pops up like an annoying neighbor in an 80s sitcom peeking into the window, to remind them of the self-created box they're living in is a flat, horrible representation of what it means to be conscious. They're busy dissecting only half of the sphere, and threw the other half in the trash!
Most call it The Enlightenment. Some call it the Disenchantment of the world…
The meaning is somewhat lost in translation. In French it is called “les Lumières”, which literally means “the lights” (as opposed to the perceived darkness of religious dogma).
‘Evidence based’ will hopefully go under the microscope now we’ve seen the cronyism, and monetisation and sleight of hand rampant in ‘peer’ reviews. Although in these days of half man half data receiver, I fear many have the depth to contemplate Jung’s contribution. Ditto Rowan.
Thank you for this. Anyone with a shred of creative spirit and soulful curiosity will not be afraid to align with Jungian Psychology. Our world needs it more than ever.
Even his anti-Semitic work on Jewish and German psychology?
The man may have had some problematic views, but he is mostly known for the ideas that are worthy and hold up over time.
If only we treated everyone like this instead of having cancel culture…
I completely agree. I’ve been in the field since 1999, I’m a Jungian, and see his work as bringing deeper healing than the “evidenced based practices.” They are useful and can provide mental health stability, but they lack the deeper healing. Jung was tremendously ahead of his time, misunderstood, and I believe that his work doesn’t service the capitalist/colonized ways of healing that have so monetized healing. Jung’s approaches legitimized many cultural/indigenous non-colonized beliefs through legitimizing the spiritual and the psychic. It’s not something that can be controlled, instead it awakens and breaks people away from the Egoic programming of Capitalism. Thank you for sharing this, I am all about bringing back Jung to Psychology and giving him the credit he’s due 🙏🏽💖✨ his work is sooooo layered and fascinating 🤓 I started reading his work at 18 with Memories, Dreams, and Reflections; now I’m 40 and read his work continuously.
Take. Your. Happy Pills. And. Get. Back. In. Your. Pod. 😠
Scientific materialism has swung the pendulum too far to one side, eliminating serious discussions of the parapsychological, occult, and esoteric.
Believe me - the pendulum will swing back, it’s already begun its motion. The collective is not willing to forfeit its felt experiences in favor of the “objective” sciences.
I had exactly this conversation with a friend yesterday. So I'm going to chalk my encounter of your article (and my subsequent subscription) up to synchronicity 😉
Collective conscious drew you in!
I have found that people of a literary persuasion and a classical inclination find it much easier to work with Jung, von Franz, Woodman, Shinoda Bolen, Brinton Perera and others… no need to achieve credibility in numbers, but very affectionate towards, in the end, a good story that resonates. And heals, at times, too. Also it's much more fun.
“In a way, we’ve traded wisdom, understanding, and depth, for data, measurement, and precision.”
100%!! This article was water in my veins. Thanks for being another voice of reason.
Somewhat of a desperately-missed TLP vibe, which, for all its Lacan-flavored misanthropic genius, left depth psychology grievously untackled (in my book, his only flaw).
It’s not a surprise that the sons of the Enlightenment would be terrified of the dark, yes? The damp and dionysian, that which prodded the Teutonic spirit until the likes of Hegel, Nietzsche and Freud yelled it out, and which was swiftly again smothered by the shiny and mechanical toys that soon arrived. It’s unserious, non-replicable, womanly business - the insurance companies will have none of it, so neither will we. In analytical terms, Father drove us away from the Oedipal nest - and we smothered the Anima for it.
How much of the 'difficultness' is down to Jung's medical training, and that the therapy is an often painful, hard and messy slog through 'you', to find relief, not results?
Or are they just jealous of the illustrations and calligraphy in the Red Book?
One of the foremost and significant modern philosophers, Slavoj Zizek, is a Lacanian psychoanalyst. Love him or hate him, the world of thought must reckon with Zizek. The fact of the matter is the Jungians (not Jung himself) have done a very poor job in developing their own thought and have turned their school into a rather insular, self-interpretive project. Part of the problem is the Jungians cutting off their Freudian roots. Almost every Freudian I have known has read Jung, but few Jungians have read Freud, fewer still take the time to understand him. It as if to them psychoanalysis began in 1913. It leaves them theoretically cut off at the knees and adrift as so much of Jung is responding to Freud which means the context of the arguments are lost. Philosophy does not reach back and revive a school of thought because they deserve it or its their right; Philosophers must assert the school, show their ideas necessity and applicability to current circumstances. It is not a museum, it is an agora. There is plenty of money in Zurich for grants and has been for many generations, but no one has stepped up.
It is so heartening to see this problem articulated so clearly. Jung’s grasp of the reality of all that cannot be quantified or measured is an important issue for science (and psychology, like economics has always been a discipline too much engaged with the unknowable to truly qualify as a hard science). But this culture of the quantifiable is not isolated to academia; it permeates every aspect of our lives and culture today. It is in art as much as it is in science, politics, economics and so many other realms. Its apotheosis can be seen in our rapt infatuation with Artificial Intelligence, a mathematical engine that its most deluded champions propose as the next evolutionary step beyond our hopelessly messy and flawed human version. I wonder what Jung would have had to say about it. I am certain that his insights would have been illuminating, and equally certain that they would have seen him burned at some metaphorical (in not actual) stake for their heresy.
Synchronicity? I was thinking about this, about Jung and the psyche this morning! I'm a fan of Jung, and I've found good grounding in his ideas. I quote him often and am concerned when someone expresses unfamiliarity with him. I always found the quantification of our humanity to be insulting. I've been trying to offer the ideas, the benefits of archetypes, symbols, and the power of the unconscious as things worthy of our attention in order to find ourselves, to address what needs addressing. It's a tough sell. Frustrating because I can see, in certain cases, where some focus on transcendence, on welcoming the unconscious might ease symptoms–telling signs of repressed issues.
I'm glad to read this. Grateful!
Brilliant article - Jung’s work saved my life in more ways than one. At least his methods are used and well respected among psychologists in Vienna
Where do I start if I want to read Jung ?
Joseph Campbell's "The Portable Jung" is a nice doorway. Welcome!
Ordering. Thanks
Memories, Dreams and Reflections