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From the poetry of Chamisso to the theatrics of Goethe to the philosophies of Nietzche, the intellectual history of the word “Jenseits” is nothing but rich. “Jenseits” is a compound noun fashioned from the words “that” and “side.” Throughout its literary tenure, the word has engendered deeply spiritual and poetic connotations which both illuminate and shadow our knowledge of “that-side.” The German speaking world uses “Jenseitsgericht” to translate ancient Egyptian juridical traditions concerning the afterlife; Karl Popper's intensive contemplations of the “Jenseits” deeply inspired many of his works including In Search of a Better World; Friedrich Schiller understood the “Jenseits” and “Diesseits” as “Geistischeantipoden” (literally translated as “spiritual antipodes”; Herrmann, 2010). The “Jenseits” is understood to be a concept that can never truly be understood or as in the words of Karl Popper: “Ich weiss, dass ich nichts weiss—und kaum das” (“I know, that I do not know, and barely that”; Popper, 1987/1991, p. 195). The opposite of “Jenseits” is “Diesseits” which is also a compound word literally translated as “this-side”. Thinkers such as Kant and Heidegger stressed the importance of the “Diesseits” which rationally explores our immediate reality. The “Diesseits”—arguably more concrete and tangible—tends to be more human-centric and logical in its approach to the world. Acknowledging the rich, historical traditions of “Jenseits” and “Diesseits” is important when considering Sigmund Freud's 1922 essay “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” because his word choice is not haphazard. In the title itself Freud is making a clear statement: I am traversing the unknown.
In this essay, I will begin to traverse “that-side” by analyzing: (a) Freud's notions of energy and how it characterizes the human psychical apparatus, (b) the process and logic behind repression, (c) the differences between pleasure and unpleasure with an emphasis on infantile sexuality, (d) the repetition co