Freud and Philosophy of Mind, Volume 1

This book consists of a focused and systematic analysis of Freud’s implicit argument for unconscious mental states. The author employs the unique approach of applying contemporary philosophical methods, especially Kripke-Putnam essentialism, in analyzing Freud’s argument. The book elaborates how Freud transformed the intentionality theory of his Cartesian teacher Franz Brentano into what is essentially a sophisticated modern view of the mind. Indeed, Freud redirected Brentano's analysis of consciousness as intentionality into a view of consciousness-independent intentionalism about the mental that in effect set the agenda for latter-twentieth-century philosophy of mind. 

“Jerome Wakefield’s meticulous and brilliant work, powered by his scholarly knowledge in the areas of philosophy and psychoanalysis, is displayed in this book and is welcomed in this context. … Wakefield’s work stands as an example of the kind of bridging that is necessary between these two fields.” (Cuneyt Iscan, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Vol. 70 (1), 2022) “This is a groundbreaking book, the first to unpack comprehensively the implications of Freud’s radical proposal, made in 1900, to the effect that mental activity (i.e., what we now call cognition) is unconscious in itself, and therefore consists fundamentally in the same sort of stuff as the rest of the natural universe. Wakefield becomes the first philosopher to rise to the challenge that Freud set in 1913, when he wrote that “the hypoth­esis of unconscious mental activities must compel philosophy to decide one way or the other and, if it accepts the idea, to modify its own views on the relation of mind to body so that they may conform to the new knowledge.” The insights that flow from Wakefield’s careful analysis have substantial implications not only for the philosophy of mind but also for some of the most pressing questions facing the cognitive and affective neurosciences today.” (Mark Solms, Editor of The Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud)

“Is it still possible today to say something about Freud that is both new and relevant? With the first volume of Freud and Philosophy of Mind, Jerome Wakefield shows that it is. Wakefield reconstructs Freud’s defense of the possibility and importance of unconscious mental states as a gen­uinely philosophical endeavor. To do this, he relies on a careful reading of Freud’s texts, but also on analytical tools derived from both history of philosophy and contemporary semantics and philosophy of mind. The result, a portrait of Freud as a rebellious student of Brentano, will be of tremendous interest to philosophers, psychologists and historians alike.” (Denis Forest, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University)

“This is a brilliant and bold book. It provides the deepest analysis of the concept of unconscious mental states I have read. The main claim of the book, presented with a level of lucidity characteristic of Wakefield’s writ­ing, is that Freud is a prescient and major contributor to a coherent phi­losophy of mind and a major influence on the emergence of a primary emphasis on unconscious mental states and processes in contemporary cognitive science. This book will radically alter our recognition of Freud as a philosopher of mind. For anyone interested in the profound issues inherent in the concept of unconscious mental states and for anyone who wants to have his or her mind stretched, this book provides major rewards.” (Morris Eagle, Professor Emeritus, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies, Author of Core Concepts in Classical Psychoanalysis and Core Concepts in Contemporary Psychoanalysis)

“Wakefield’s attempt is simply unprecedented. In his hands, the philoso­phy of psychoanalysis is no longer the worn out critique of Freud’s clin­ical theses on the dynamic unconscious or repression. His Freud is, so to speak, hovering above psychoanalysis itself, for his true founding ges­ture was for all of modern psychology including cognitive science, and it was to separate mind from consciousness and to endow brain states with intrinsic intentionality. Never before in contemporary philosophy of mind has the meaning of a radically anti-Cartesian concept of the uncon­scious been so precisely delineated. A conceptual tour de force, seam­lessly expounded with vigor and clarity.” (Pierre-Henri Castel, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Research, Institute Marcel Mauss, School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Paris, France, Author of Introduction to the Interpretation of Freud’s Dream: A Philosophy of the Unconscious Mind)

“There are two things that are commonly said about Freud in contem­porary discussions of the mind. One is that Freud revolutionized our conception of the mind; the other is that Freud’s clinical ideas are largely discredited. Can these claims both be true? What exactly was Freud’s contribution to our understanding of the mind, if so many of his ideas have been discredited? In this wide-ranging and masterly work, Jerome Wakefield gives an account of Freud that answers this question, by exam­ining in detail the philosophical basis of Freud’s theory of unconscious intentionality, tracing Freud’s ideas back to his reactions to his teacher Franz Brentano. Wakefield gives a thrilling and absorbing account of Freud as a philosopher of the mind, which shows precisely where Freud’s philosophy came from and how it is relevant today. A very important work.” (Tim Crane, Professor of Philosophy, Central European University, Author of Elements of Mind and The Objects of Thought)

“Jerome Wakefield has produced a fascinating, original and masterful work that brings together history of philosophy and psychology, philos­ophy of mind and Freudian scholarship to illuminate the origins of con­tinuing debates around our current understanding of mind and Freud’s prescient contribution to them. Crystal clear and richly informed by past and present thought, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the nature of mind.” (Michael Lacewing, University College London, Co-Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychoanalysis)

“Wakefield’s book is strikingly clear and lucidly argued. This is remark­able given that he boldly confronts the reader with the most complex issues in philosophy of mind. This book is not just for experts; its ele­gant analysis of the roots of the modern conception of mind encourages a love of its subject and should be on the reading list of every university student in psychology and philosophy.” (Paolo Migone, Editor of the journal Psicoterapia e Scienze Umane)

“In this very original book, Jerome Wakefield argues that standard ways of describing Sigmund Freud’s work in terms of his much-disputed clin­ical theories fail to recognize his profound contribution to philosophy of mind and the foundations of contemporary cognitive science. By accept­ing Brentano’s theory that intentionality is the essence of the mental but rejecting Brentano’s equation of intentionality with consciousness, Freud posed the profound problem of how nonconscious brain states can possess intentionality and representationality, a problem that challenges philosophers and cognitive scientists to this day. Wakefield’s exciting book should be read by all philosophers of mind, cognitive scientists, and anyone interested in the essence of the human mind.” (Edward Erwin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Miami, Author of A Final Accounting: Philosophical and Empirical Issues in Freudian Psychology and Editor of The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy, and Culture)

Jerome C. Wakefield, PhD (Philosophy), DSW (Clinical Social Work), M.A. (Mathematics: Logic and Methodology of Science) is University Professor, Professor of Social Work, Professor of the Conceptual Foundations of Psychiatry, Associate Faculty in the Center for Bioethics and in the Center for Ancient Studies, and Honorary Faculty at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education, at New York University. Previous faculty appointments were at University of Chicago, Columbia University, and Rutgers University. He is the author of over 250 publications appearing in journals and books in psychology, philosophy, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and social work, addressing issues at the intersection of philosophy and the mental health professions. He is Co-author of The Loss of Sadness: How Psychiatry Transformed Normal Sorrow into Depressive Disorder(2007, Oxford), named best psychology book of 2007 by the Association of Professional and Scholarly Publishers,and All We Have to Fear: How Psychiatry Transforms Natural Fear into Mental Disorder(2012, Oxford), as well as Co-editor of Sadness or Depression?: International Perspectives on the Depression Epidemic and its Meaning(Springer, 2016). In addition to Volume 2 of the Freud and Philosophy of Mind series, he is currently working on a book reexamining Freud’s case of Little Hans from philosophy-of-science and Foucaultian perspectives, to be published by Routledge.