The Foundation of the Unconscious Schelling, Freud and the Birth of the Modern Psyche

'... persuasive, well argued and intellectually ambitious - this is an impressive piece of work.' Matthew Bell, King's College London '... an impressive contribution to the history of philosophy and the history of psychoanalysis.' John Forrester, University of Cambridge 'It has long been recognised that Freud did not discover the unconscious and that the modern concept originated in philosophy not psychology. In his meticulous work, Ffytche traces the concept back to the German idealist philosopher Friedrich Schelling. Most original is the argument that the concept served a political function: to confer moral autonomy on the individual. Brilliant.' Robert A. Segal, Times Higher Education 'Ffytche's excellent book sets a new standard for philosophically sensitive historical writing on the concept of the unconscious.' Tom Eyers, Radical Philosophy