Spinozan Palimpsests in Freud

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between Spinoza's thought and Freud's psychoanalysis, examining how there is a certain, albeit implicit, presence of Spinoza in Freudian writings. Firstly, it proposes to reconstruct the meaning of the “Spinozan atmosphere” from which Freud affirmed to have nourished himself, and through figures close to him, such as Zweig, Rolland, Tausk, and Salomé. Subsequently, the presence of Spinoza is detected in Freud's writings through palimpsests, which allow for a speculative approximation of notions such as oceanic feeling, the Spinozan theory of individuation and Freudian group psychology, as well as the theory of imagination and the theory of narcissism, moreover, with a specific focus on the notion of overdetermination. The main objective of this work is to pave the way for future dialogues and further research concerning Spinoza's presence in psychoanalysis, whose impacts, among others, also touch upon problems of political philosophy.