The “Supreme Court of Justice”: Religion and the Suppression of the Lower Classes in Freud’s “The Future of an Illusion”
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date published 12/12/2007
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SummaryThough humans have “raised [themselves] above [their] animal status” (5), the fact remains that a fear of nature, a far superior force, is inherent in mankind. Left to his own devices, man is unrestricted, susceptible to outside destructive forces and his own animalistic instincts, necessitating the creation of a defense: human civilization; however, in a society where one’s satisfaction is derived from the suppression of another’s, a force greater than man, greater than nature, to whom all men must answer, must be created to maintain a balance and to quell “dangerous revolts,” or symptoms, in the society (15). In The Future of an Illusion, Freud describes the functions of religion, and how the creation of gods regulates an otherwise untamable society by fulfilling man’s longing for a father figure – an overseeing force that justifies his unequal society and establishes a set of morals that keeps it intact. Thus, Freud argues, religion functions to rationalize human inequality, and to give the underprivileged, upon whose work society is built, justification for their role: the promise of a reward for their suffering.
Table of Contents
- Understand the reasoning behind the creation of religion.
- Beyond the use of the 'sameness' of religion.
- The idea of an afterlife.
- What makes religion effective as an equalizer?
- Conclusion.
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