Embracing the void : rethinking the origin of the sacred / Richard Boothby.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boothby, Richard, 1954- author.

Series:

Diaeresis

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychoanalysis and religion.

Philosophy and religion.

Holy, The.

Nothing (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

241 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Evanston, Illinois : Northwestern University Press, 2023.

Summary:

"Renowned psychoanalytic philosopher Richard Boothby puts forward a novel theory of religion inspired by Jacques Lacan's theory of das Ding. The book offers the theoretical tools for interpreting religious belief and analyzes several faith traditions"-- Provided by publisher.

"A radical reinterpretation of the origin of religion through a psychoanalytic theorization of the unknown. Renowned psychoanalytic philosopher Richard Boothby puts forward a novel theory of religion inspired by Jacques Lacan's theory of das Ding, the disquieting, inaccessible dimension of fellow human beings. This notion of an unfathomable excess, originally encountered in the figure of the mother, led Lacan to break with Freud's formulation of the Oedipus complex and underlies Lacan's distinctive conception of unconscious dynamics. Leaning on this account, Boothby shows how our sense of the sacred arises from our relation to what we do not know. Embracing the Void lays out the range of Freud's attempts at a psychoanalytic theory of religion and then sketches the rough contours of Lacan's contrasting approach. From there, Boothby offers the theoretical tools for interpreting the religious impulse and analyzes key religious traditions, from ancient Greek polytheism to Judaism and Christianity, and from Hinduism and Buddhism to Islam, finally turning to modern capitalist culture and the seductive deity that dominates it-money. Lucid, accessible, and compelling, the book provides a cogent intervention in one of the psychoanalytic tradition's most contentious topics and offers a new approach to our understanding of religion"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 Rereading Lacan (or, What Is the Other?)

1. Religion from Freud to Lacan

2. The Abyss of the Other

3. The Ex Nihilo of the Signifier

pt. 2 Rethinking Religion (or, What Is the Sacred?)

4. Greek Polytheism: The Worship of Force

5. Judaism: The Worship of Law

6. Christianity: The Worship of Love

7. Other Paths, Other Gods

8. Conclusions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780810145382

0810145383

9780810145399

0810145391

OCLC:

1342109856