[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Psychology research

[Franz Metcalf]

Richard et al.,

Just time for a quick reply then gone for three days. If someone  
replies and I do not, please don't take it as a sign of umbrage. I'm  
just out of touch.

On Sep 3, 2010, at 5:25 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:

> calling an author an odd duck hardly addresses his arguments or
> the textual evidence he adduces to show that Freud strongly
> suspected his father's sexual improprieties and covered them up.

Quite so. I was making an ad hominem attack. But, you know, sometimes  
an ad hominem attack is right on target. Vis. the whole Shimano  
matter. And--Buddha help me for saying this in public, but--Freud's  
insight that the overwhelming majority of remembered sexual abuse  
simply did not happen was absolutely brilliant and was the key to  
unlocking the unconscious in all its wonderful deviousness. Without  
that revolutionary leap of Freud's mind, hundreds of millions of  
people would be significantly more unhappy than they are today. So I  
say.

Aong with you, I "very much admire Freud and consider him an  
intellectual giant." It may be, as well, that I set his bodhisattva  
status higher than you do. Yeah, the whole inner circle secret ring  
thing was sad, but let's recall that these men were leaping out the  
windows of the house of faith--for most of them "the faith of our  
fathers"--and they felt they needed a safety net. As with Marxists,  
the rejection of religion entailed a necessary reproduction of  
religious certitude and community, but dressed in the garb of science.  
For the incalculable service they have done the world, I cut these  
pioneers of psychoanalysis a great deal of slack. (I'm not so keen on  
the Marxists, though reading the early Marx is definitely a religious  
experience. [Talk about reproducing and disguising religious views!])

But as for

>> (who apologizes if this post is a tad fuzzy-headed, as his six year
>> old daughter is home and distracting him greatly as he writes)
>
> That's right, blame it on the woman. How Freudian can you get?

you have totally nailed me. Mea culpa. (And I can, indeed--being the  
father of a six year old girl--testify that Freud was onto something  
with that ol' Oedipus/Electra thing.)

Still wondering what women (and Buddhas) want,

Franz