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

The unconscious(p)(p) is non a concept, it is a rhetorical device. hence wrote Stanley Fish in his bind, Withholding the Missing Portion. Fishs word contends that Freuds primary concern in his writings is to convince the lector of the strength of his interpretations and the validity of his theory through his clever bring up 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 assume along to call up for any data acquired in practice. This attitude reflects the comm solo-held cyclorama amongst contemporaneous scientists that Freuds theories are unscientific. In this essay, I aim to argue that era Fish makes a valid point well-nigh Freuds role of the unconscious as a rhetorical device, to consider it as only a rhetorical device and to cast out its greatness as a scientific concept is not only unjustified, but also impractical in mental theo ries of the mind. Freuds theories, I argue, are no less scientific than other(a) theories in science. Before I assert my own arguments concerning this matter, I shall examine Fishs position in greater detail, in edict to experience the extent of his claim.

A rhetorical device, according to Fish, is merely constructed and stands without extraneous support, and that insofar as it has been installed at the marrow squash of a structure of conviction it acquires the status of that which goes without saying and that against which nobody can be said. According to Fish, Freuds idea of the unconscious fits these defi nitions. By postulating a component of the m! ind that is completely un-come-at-able to us, Freud is constructing a theory that is entirely underdetermined by data. It cannot be validate or refuted by observation alone. Rather, as Fish says, the unconscious? is a placeholder which can be given whatsoever compliance the polemical moment requires. Thus, the unconscious becomes, for Freud, a flexile 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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