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Levin's thesis is that Freud's death instinct is an absurd concept and was originated by Freud as a reaction to his fear and rejection of life. Freud, he claims, instead of recognizing the origin of these fears in his own Oedipus complex, projected them on Nature, Fate and Mankind. Death as inorganic peace
was Freud's method of pacifying a cruel world of terrors. He offers no proof from Freud's life but quotes examples from Freud's writings.
The author cites Einstein's equation, E=mc2, to show the tremendous energy locked up in 'inert' atoms. He fails to recognize that Freud's theory of the death instinct is merely a special case of the Second Law of Thermodynamics—that all energy tends to ultimate equalization and stabilization and that, therefore, units of higher energy content within a system of lower energy content are unstable and tend to degrade. Within the system in which man lives and dies the Second Law of Thermodynamics is still valid. 'Life… consists of a continuous descent toward death; but the falling of the level is delayed and fresh tensions are introduced by the claims of eros, of the sexual instincts as expressed in instinctual needs.'1
Freud's long life, his works and his actions are sufficient evidence of that love of life which Levin fails to claim for him. Freud began his theories with eros, not thanatos. The author confuses Freud's death instinct with the threat of castration and rejection of the ego which derives from the Oedipus complex and its heir the superego. He cites man's fear of death and death as a social punishment to support his arguments against the death instinct. Freud states '… the death instincts are by their nature mute and … the clamor of life proceeds for the most part from eros'.2 The death instincts are never found in their pure form but always combined with eros.
To treat the concept of the tendency of matter toward stabilization, as it is manifested in the mute and unconscious id of our psychic life, as equival