I'm not a big fan of Doctor Freud - not by a long shot. Frankly, I think he was a bit of a nut and I don't imagine I would have enjoyed having lunch with him. Still, he obviously made a pretty huge contribution to our understanding of psychology, and I don't mean to downplay that. He's just not on my personal list of heroes. Give me Teddy Roosevelt or G.K. Chesterton or Orville Wright any day.
However, I came across a quote (possibly apocryphal) that shows really powerful insight and uncharacteristic humility. In our psycho-babble drenched society, where ulterior motives and subconscious influences are read into every nuance, statement and error, I think it's important to remember what Herr Freud said:
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
I just don't have a lot of patience for amateur psychologists who can't recognize that sometimes, a thing is what it is. Yes, actions often have hidden motives, and objects are symbols of other things. But sometimes a cigar is really and truly just a cigar.
(and by the way, this is just an idea I had, based on something I read recently. There's no hidden agenda behind this blog post... or this defense of the post... or this defense of the defense... see what I mean?)
However, I came across a quote (possibly apocryphal) that shows really powerful insight and uncharacteristic humility. In our psycho-babble drenched society, where ulterior motives and subconscious influences are read into every nuance, statement and error, I think it's important to remember what Herr Freud said:
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
I just don't have a lot of patience for amateur psychologists who can't recognize that sometimes, a thing is what it is. Yes, actions often have hidden motives, and objects are symbols of other things. But sometimes a cigar is really and truly just a cigar.
(and by the way, this is just an idea I had, based on something I read recently. There's no hidden agenda behind this blog post... or this defense of the post... or this defense of the defense... see what I mean?)
