The body as text in the writings of Nietzsche and Freud

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Abstract

Recent publications have traced a relation of influence between Nietzsche's philosophy and Freudian psychoanalysis. While Freud is certainly intellectually indebted to Nietzsche, the present paper emphasises the significant difference between these philosophers' works: Namely, that they exhibit a different economy, and are thus committed to competing theoretical structures. This difference comes to the fore in the approach that each takes to elaborating the mind-body relation, and especially in the contrast between Freud's early neuro scientific speculations (which haunt his later writings) and Nietzsche's emphasis upon language, and particularly metaphor. In order to illustrate this ‘economical’ difference between their theories, the paper critiques Freud's early commitment to neurological discourse using Nietzsche's genealogical method.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)94-124
Number of pages31
JournalMinerva: An Internet Journal of Philosophy
Volume7
Publication statusPublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes

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