Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites

You looking to find the "Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites" Good news! You can purchase Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

   

Product Description

Was Jung's interpretation and assessment of Nietzsche accurate?

Nietzsche and Jung considers the thought and personalities of two icons of twentieth century philosophical and psychological thought, and reveals the extraordinary connections between them. Through a thorough examination of their work, Nietzsche and Jung succeeds in illuminating complex areas of Nietzsche's thought and resolving ambiguities in Jung's reception of these theories. The location and analysis of the role played by opposites in the whole self according to Jung is considered, revealing the full extent of Nietzsche's influence. This rigorous and original analysis of Jungian theory and its philosophical roots, supported by Jung's seminars on Nietzsche's Zarathustra, leads to the development of a fresh interpretation of the theories of both. The shared model of selfhood is put into practice as the personalities of Nietzsche and Jung are evaluated according to the other's criteria for mental health, attempting to determine whether Nietzsche and Jung were themselves whole.

Nietzsche and Jung demonstrates how our understanding of analytical psychology can be enriched by investigating its philosophical roots, and considers whether the whole self is a realistic possibility for each of us. This book will prove fascinating reading for students in psychology, philosophy and religion as well as practicing Jungian analysts.

Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites Review

Readers of Nietzsche and/or Jung face the serious challenge of deciding which of their books to read and in what order, as well as deciding which commentaries are worthwhile. Both of these great thinkers left fascinating, sprawling, highly personal essays that trace the gradual evolution of their ideas, but both of them are much too complex to identify a specific work that provides a good summary.

I decided to read Nietzsche's works in chronological sequence, dipping into various commentaries along the way, and that went just wonderfully until I reached Zarathustra. You don't just read Zarathustra, you examine it from every direction. So I was very excited to discover the enormous 2 volume set that records Jung's seminar on Zarathustra in the 1930's. This seminar started out as a nearly line-by-line analysis of Zarathustra, with many interesting diversions along the way into the kind of things we expect from Jung. However, there is a disturbing tendency, which gets worse in the later seminars, for Jung to be more interested in analyzing Nietzsche the person, frequently in a hostile, dismissive manner, rather than really understanding the substance of what Nietzsche was trying to say. At the end of 1500 pages I had the very unpleasant feeling that, in spite of all the fascinating discussions, this seminar had veered way off course and really missed the essence of Nietzsche's thought.

So it was with considerable interest that I picked up Lucy Huskinson's work on Nietzsche and Jung. Dr. Huskinson has organized her material brilliantly, and makes her discussions especially interesting and useful by introducing her own proto-theory regarding the Union of Opposites. The proto-theory supports an intellectually stimulating philosophical discussion in its own right, and provides an excellent framework for organizing some of the more interesting similarities and differences between Nietzsche and Jung. Her analysis and comparison of the Nietzschean Ubermensch and the Jungian Self is fascinating, and she does this with meticulous attention to detail that organizes the many little fragments available into a coherent picture. We also get a nice explanation of the contrast of Nietzsche's empahsis on "creation" as opposed to Jung's emphasis on "discovery" in the realm of creativity. There are pertinent references to many of the works by both writers, and it is very satisfying to follow the various arguments in Huskinson's crystal-clear prose. She drills down tenaciously into some of the more contentious areas, such as Jung's assertion that Nietzsche's major mistake was his dismissal of God, and she treats each viewpoint with respect and understanding.

The book also draws some fascinating parallels regarding the influences of various philosophers on both Nietzsche and Jung, and provides excellent information about the ideas of Heraclitus, Plato, Kant, and Schopenhauer.

The unexpected surprise in the book is a section devoted to a discussion of Jung's negative and highly emotional remarks about Nietzsche, and what seem to be willful distortions or misinterpretations, especially since the influence of Nietzsche on Jung is so significant. It would appear that Jung was working through some serious personal issues, much as Nietzsche was doing for himself in Zarathustra, and there were some aspects of Zarathustra that were too close to home. As an admirer of Jung, I was very glad to read an informed analysis of this rather strange seminar, since I had found it to be such a perplexing mixture of psychology, theology, and mythology, with very uneven philosophical content.

In summary, this is a remarkable philosophical work, and is an astonishing achievement in consideration of the way Huskinson presents a satisfying structure for understanding an enormous wealth of material.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Nietzsche and Jung: The Whole Self in the Union of Opposites ...