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Paul Johnston @WittFreud

Author of Wittgenstein: Re-thinking the Inner. Interested in exploring a Wittgensteinian approach to psychoanalysis.

Joined September 2022
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Paul Johnston@WittFreud
26 Mar 2025
Wittgenstein and Freud were two very different Viennese gurus. Both wanted to revolutionise the fields they worked in. Which one do you think has best stood the test of time or do you think both deserve to be forgotten? wittgensteinfreud.blog/2025/…

Wittgenstein and Freud: Overrated or Undervalued?

Ludwig Wittgenstein and Sigmund Freud have a lot in common. Both were Viennese gurus, who inspired groups of disciples to preach their world-changing revelations to a sceptical world. Both were for…

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How often does the word "Instinkt" appear in the German version of The Instincts & their Vissitudes? Not at all! Whereas Trieb (drive) occurs over 200 times. Ditto for Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Oh Strachey what have you done?! (Apols to those who have known this forever) :-)
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Is the Unconscious a reflection of the uncontainable nature of desire? Or is it an archaic form of mental functioning with poetic capabilities that can help us become better integrated people? Jonathan Lear explored both options, but did he get it right? wittgensteinfreud.blog/2026/…

Lear on Freud: the Uncontainable Nature of Desire

The U.S. philosopher and psychoanalyst, Jonathan Lear, saw human beings as restless animals, whose defining trait was the uncontainable nature of their desire. No utopia that we can imagine will ev…

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The late psychoanalyst and philosopher Jonathan Lear was an engaging thinker always coming up with new perspectives on Freud and on human nature. His was a distinctive voice & it is worth exploring what he had to say. wittgensteinfreud.blog/2026/…

Lear on Freud: the Transformational Power of Love

Jonathan Lear, who died in September 2025, was relentlessly curious about the human condition. His curiosity led him to become a philosopher and then a psychoanalyst – a very rare combination…

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Is love a basic force of nature? That is what the late philosopher & psychoanalyst Jonathan Lear claimed in one of his early books. It is a fascinating argument for psychoanalysis as a science of subjectivity, but does it really work? wittgensteinfreud.blog/2026/…

Lear on Freud: the Transformational Power of Love

Jonathan Lear, who died in September 2025, was relentlessly curious about the human condition. His curiosity led him to become a philosopher and then a psychoanalyst – a very rare combination…

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If you can only know what it is like to be a human, if you are a human, presumably you can only know what it is like to be an actor, if you are actor and only know what it is like to be me if you are me. Are there countless ineffable "what-it-is-like-to-be-ness"es for each of us?
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David Chalmers asks: how can we explain why there is something it is like to entertain a mental image? But the question: what is like to entertain a mental image is meaningless. Describing what I am imagining/seeing is not describing what it is like to entertain a mental image.
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Nagel et al ask: what is it like to be an X?; reject all meaningful answers ("it feels hard/easy") and take this as proof that there is an indescribable what-it-is-like-to-be ness that you can only know by being the type of thing in question - a human being, a bat, a doctor etc.
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There is also nothing it is like to be a bat or a human being. People can tell us what they feel about being alive (it is great/awful) & can compare what it is like to be a doctor vs an accountant (different kinds of stress etc) but there is no "what it is like to be an X"-ness.
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Xmas brain-teaser: All predatory animals know calculus. Proof: predators need to be able to calculate acceleration. You need calculus to do this. Therefore all predators know calculus. Surely nothing wrong with this argument? (Inspired by reading: Mark Solm's The Hidden Spring).
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A question for therapist colleagues: what do you think of Freud's dream interpretations which are often incredibly elaborate & use word similarities/puns? How similar is his approach to yours? If the modern approach is different, how would you characterise the difference?
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Little Hans thought that there was only one human sex organ - a widdler - but that men had it in its proper form and women had a smaller, inferior version. Not a surprising view for a boy to have. But, ironically, not that different from his analyst's view :-)
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Freud and Wittgenstein both wrote about what happens in our minds when we struggle to find a word or a name. Their discussions are very different and raise some fascinating issues. Which account do you find most convincing? And why? wittgensteinfreud.blog/2025/…

What Happens When We Forget a Word?

It’s infuriating when you know something and can’t quite call it to mind. Both Wittgenstein and Freud wrote about this situation, but they were interested in different aspects of it, and they…

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How does the mind connect to the body? Well, how does the ability of a car to move at X mph connect to the engine? Surely there must be a connection since if the engine is not working properly, the car loses its ability to move? A research project based on a conceptual confusion.
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The anchoring effect (our tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of info given when making a decision) is a scientific finding. It explains & predicts things & may change our negotiating tactics. It does not change our view of human nature. It's a causal explanation. 1/2
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Our tendency to project our own unacknowledged feelings is a psychological insight. It changes our view of human nature & the way we understand & relate to others. It can help us predict how others will react but its main value is helping us make sense of people’s behaviour. 2/2
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Just to be clear: my dishwasher does not have needs, cannot signal them, does not have intentions or goals and does not make any predictions. It also does not think or feel: "mission accomplished", when I add rinse aid. It is a machine :-)
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Strange translations help us see things in new ways. This can promote innovative thinking. But it can also be dangerous. We can forget what our statements really mean. Then we risk making meaningless claims or claims we wouldn't make if we were writing & thinking clearly. (5/5)
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It presents an everyday occurrence in a strange way, but since it is easy to translate back into ordinary language, there is little chance of anyone getting confused. If I don't add rinse aid, no one is going to accuse me of cruel insensitivity to needs I am fully aware of. (4/5)
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A light on my dishwasher flashes when it is out of rinse aid. The machine signals its need & predicts that this signal will lead to the need being met. When I add rinse aid, the machine has achieved its goal & everything has gone as it intended. What’s wrong with that? (3/5)
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Is it important & helpful to write what we mean? Solms is a very intelligent man writing for other intelligent people. Shouldn’t he avoid confusing or meaningless statements? Isn’t it hard enough to think clearly about things without throwing dust in our own eyes? (2/5)
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