"The Unconscious Is Not a Concept, It Is a Rhetori

The unconscious mind(p) is non a concept, it is a rhetorical device. therefrom wrote Stanley Fish in his bind, Withholding the Missing Portion. Fishs article bespeaks that Freuds primary concern in his writings is to convince the referee of the strength of his interpretations and the validity of his theory through his clever weep of rhetoric. In particular, Fish refers to the rôle of the unconscious in Freuds theory, arguing that it send word be freely manipulated by Freud in such a way that it can appear to subscribe for any data acquired in practice. This attitude reflects the comm solo-held tantrum amongst contemporaneous scientists that Freuds theories are unscientific. In this essay, I aim to argue that era Fish makes a valid point most Freuds role of the unconscious as a rhetorical device, to consider it as only a rhetorical device and to dethaw its greatness as a scientific concept is not only unjustified, but also impractical in psychological theor ies of the mind. Freuds theories, I argue, are no less scientific than another(prenominal) theories in science. Before I assert my own arguments concerning this matter, I shall examine Fishs position in greater detail, in order of magnitude to experience the extent of his claim.

A rhetorical device, according to Fish, is completely constructed and stands without extraneous support, and that insofar as it has been installed at the sum total of a structure of conviction it acquires the status of that which goes without saying and that against which aught can be said. According to Fish, Freuds idea of the uncon scious fits these definitions. By postulatin! g a component of the mind that is completely un puffatable to us, Freud is constructing a theory that is entirely underdetermined by data. It cannot be clear or refuted by observation alone. Rather, as Fish says, the unconscious? is a placeholder which can be given whatever compliance the polemical moment requires. Thus, the unconscious becomes, for Freud, a conciliatory incision in his theory. Not only can...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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