Thesis outline: How can psychoanalysis and philosophy explain the psychological problem of rationalisation?

Thesis outline: How can psychoanalysis and philosophy explain the psychological problem of rationalisation?

Annotations:

• What cannot be over-stressed is that while my thesis does deal with and is inspired by The Sopranos, and would never come to fruition without The Sopranos IT IS NOT A CULTURAL STUDIES WORK! It is a hybrid philosophical and psychoanalytic work on the problem of self-deception and the epistemological ramifications thereof using Tony’s self-deception as jumping off point. ‘Tony’s Problem’ provides the vision to which other questions follow and must be developed and spelled out. Thinkers as diverse as Thomas Sowell to Mary Midgley have discussed the notions of visions, but it is Sowell who brought to my attention the most appropriate conception of vision for this work – economist Joseph Schumpeter definition of a ‘Vision’ as the ‘preanalytic cognitive act that supplies the raw  material for the analytic effort.’ ‘Tony’s Problem’ provided the inspiration for the ‘raw material’ – to use philosopher Stephen Kinsella’s highly evocative phrase ‘It lit my brain on fire’, while my thesis is the ‘analytic effort’, the hard work to turn the vision into a concrete, coherent and choate work.  

1. 3. Winnicottian analysis of Tony Soprano

   Annotations:

   • What does Winnicott say about Tony's self-deception?
   1. D.W. Winnicott
      1. 'True self' versus 'False self'
      2. Tony's flawed world view is a result of his 'compliance'
   2. Dr Melfi
      1. "IT'S LESS HURTFUL TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE RIGHT TO TRY AND DESTROY YOU THAN TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT SHE DIDN'T VALUE YOU."
         1. Tony's Problem
         2. We are obviously dealing with BELIEFS
   3. Tony Soprano
      1. An example of self-deception in ACTION
         1. His failure as an analysand is also a MORAL FAILING
            1. How is it linked to his life as a gangster?
            2. What does this say about PA as a science if it descriptive as well as normative?
         2. It is HIS fault not Dr Melfi's or PA's!
      2. The greatest TV character of ALL time!
         1. The greatest TV show of ALL time!
            1. An unforgettably and unsurpassably epic portrayal of the fragility of human flourishing
         2. THE KING!
      3. THE FRAGILITY OF HUMAN FLOURISHING
2. 2. Anti-reductionism

   Annotations:

   • Where does PA fit in the intellectual landscape?
   1. 2.1 Mary Midgley
      1. Austrian Economics - non-reductionist social science
         1. Mises
            1. Rothbard
               1. 'The Mantle Of Science'
            2. 'Human Action'
         2. Friedrich Hayek
      2. Reality has many layers - THERE IS NO BOTTOM LINE!
      3. The irreducible need for SELF-KNOWLEDGE!
         1. Again this links philosophy + PA
   2. 2.2 Complexity theory?!?!
      1. Rom Harre?
      2. 2.2 Michael Polanyi?
         1. Might be a good way to bridge 'hard' and 'soft'
         2. Boundary conditions
         3. A gifted anti-reductionist scientist *AND* philosopher
   3. 2.3 Charles Taylor
      1. the role of language in clarifying our emotions
         1. links anti-reductionist philosophy to PA
      2. the self CANNOT be studied scientifically!
3. 1: The landscape of PA

   Annotations:

   • What *IS* PA?
   1. 1.1 A Tight-rope Between Sympathy & Suspicion
   2. 1.3 Paul Ricoeur
      1. hermeneutics + PA
         1. ties in with Taylor
      2. What is homo psychoanalyticus?

         Attachments:

         • What is homo psychoanalyticus?¯\_(ツ)_/¯
      3. The 4 criteria of a psychoanalytic "fact"

         Attachments:

         • Paul Ricoeur's 4 criterion of a psychoanalytic 'fact'
   3. 1.2 Consciousness Considered: Neuroscience, Neuroplasti city & Psychoanalysis
      1. Norman Doidge
4. 4. Epistemology of rationalization - VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT!

   Annotations:

   • How can rationalisation be explained EPISTEMOLOGICALLY?
   1. 5. Philosophical conceptions of self-deception

      Annotations:

      • What does philosophy say about self-deception?
      1. Sartre as example of self-deception that disagree with Freud??!
         1. Continental philosophy
         2. Compare + contrast his and PA's views on self-deception
      2. Al Mele?
         1. Analytic philosophy
         2. He might belong in the epistemology of rationalisation section (4)
            1. Sue's recommendation + seems a good one!
      3. How does it differ from the PA conception of self-deception?
   2. 4.3 Wilfred Bion

      Annotations:

      • What da crunk is he on about? ¯\(°_o)/¯
      1. Recommended by my 1st analyst for his work on THINKING
         1. A link between PA + epistemology?!?
      2. K can provide a object relations view of knowledge accumulation
   3. 'TONY'S PROBLEM' IS AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL PROBLEM!
      1. VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT!
         1. No, seriously
            1. Not joking dewd it really is!
   4. 4.2 Weltanschauung
      1. How does Tony rationalising compare and contrast with what he claims scientists do with their beliefs?
         1. Core beliefs and auxiliary beliefs
         2. This provides a crucial link between PA + philosophy
   5. 4.1 Belief and action
      1. allows for an 'opening' for PA in 'Web of Belief' in how beliefs are formed and defended
      2. Quine + Ullian
      3. Collins' article
5. Hartmann on rationality + action - not sure where he fits in - hmm....