The Retentional and the Repressed: Does Freud's Concept of the Unconscious Threaten Husserlian Phenomenology? (original) (raw)

This paper explores the philosophical implications of Freud's concept of the unconscious in relation to Husserlian phenomenology. It argues that while both Freud and Husserl acknowledge the existence of the unconscious, their interpretations diverge significantly. The analysis highlights how Husserl's understanding of the unconscious as a passive reservoir of retentions fails to account for Freud's notion of the repressed, which functions independently and poses a challenge to Husserlian definitions of the subject. The paper concludes that this disagreement raises important questions about the adequacy of phenomenology in explaining psychical life.