Freud And Religion

Freud’s primary aim in The Future of an Illusion is to provide an optimistic outlook to the problem of religion. Considering his genealogical account of religion and the concerns posed by his interlocutor, this may seem like a daunting task. However, Freud systematically approaches the problem of religion with the two primary objectives: to undermine the religious foundation and to demonstrate the progress of scientific and secular ideas. First, Freud attacks the claim to authenticity of the religious doctrines. He argues that religion requires these doctrines are to be taken as authentic only on the basis of three feeble reasons: our primal ancestors already believed them, we possess proofs which have been handed down from antiquity, and it is forbidden to raise question of their authenticity. He argues such reasoning is an insult the intellect of man and requires that man make intellectual sacrifices he would never otherwise make in other areas of inquiry. Religion requires a level of incredulity that causes a tension in the intellect of man that will eventually break. Adding to this tension is the expansion of scientific ideas, which has kindled in man an inquisitive desire for knowledge and understanding; a desire that religion, in all its dogma and superstition, cannot fulfill. He compares this state of man to that of a maturing child, who, being in the past told the fable of newborn babies being delivered to their mothers on the beak of a stork, gradually builds a …show more content…
He claims that the uneducated masses, too, are eager for scientific knowledge. They will welcome scientific ideas and revel in the new understanding it brings. Further, if they come to learn the rational foundation for culture’s moral system, they will gladly acquiesce to its demands, knowing that they themselves will benefit from its universal