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Here is a situation, somewhat resembling an examination dream, that is experienced—sooner or later—by every ‘orthodox’ psychoanalyst: he finds himself at a cocktail party heavily peopled by academics, largely of a ‘humanities’ stripe. Amidst the high spirits and bubbly chatter, the topic of ‘Freud’ is (inevitably?) afloat and the drift seems strong towards a ‘post-Freudian’
consensus. Psychoanalysis is identified, by a linguistics professor, perhaps, as the illegitimate offspring of logical positivism (bereft, however, of that school's disciplined concordance rules). Freud is further declared ‘semantically circular’ and lacking an organising semiotic ‘bed’ (laughter all around).
This fizzy chorus is suddenly challenged by a pro-Freudian guest—a philosopher, perhaps—who, joining the din, wine goblet in hand, launches a spirited and articulate objection to such glib unanimity.
The analyst, who had been experiencing a sudden wooziness unrelated to his vodka intake, is greatly relieved by this intervention. He is pleased that even here, at the university, his discipline has its champions …
But wait! As the analyst scrutinises this emerging ‘defence’ its unfolding seems increasingly odd; indeed, as fundamentally askew as the ‘attack’ it is designed to neutralise!
The analyst ‘awakens’ with a start. (But he was not, unfortunately, asleep.)
Such a ‘dream within a dream’ awaits the psychoanalyst reader of Freud Among the Philosophers by Donald Levy. For the hypothetical anti-Freudians substitute the likes of Ludwig Wittgenstein, William James, Ernest Nagel, Karl Popper and Adolf Grünbaum; and for the ‘defender’ of psychoanalysis, Levy himself, a professional philosopher.
Levy possesses, of course, a distinct advantage over the cocktail polemicist; for he need not ‘think on his feet’. On the contrary, he can pick and choose his adversarial counterparts, and, after calm and extended reflection, target their perceived f