Freud’s theory of the unconscious provides the most prominent 20th century philosophy of sexuality. Freud proposed that instincts reside in the unconscious, which subjects the conscious ego to the capricious effects of these drives. He coupled this claim to an ethical pursuit, wherein the psychoanalytic understanding of the unconscious presented a new basis for understanding moral agency. This dual philosophical project offered a novel characterization of human nature and a new basis for ethics, the pursuit of an ideal of normality. In this course we will review Freud’s various psychoanalytical positions, from his earliest studies of hysteria to his later critiques of Western society, and discuss their significance for a philosophical construction of human sexuality and gender.
PHILOSOPHY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY Syllabus (Microsoft Word)
