> Joan Warmbold asks:
> >Has there ever been a non-psychologist scholar who
> >has challenged Freud's theories?
> 

Allen E. replied:

> As is implied in Joan's question, there have been many eminent 
> psychologists who have challenged psychoanalysis from its inception

As for non-psychologists, let's not forget the tenacious Frederick 
Crews, professor of English at the University of California (just 
cited by Allen in his previous post),  for his devastating critiques 
of psychoanalytic nonsense (including, for starters, the inspired 
mockery in "The Pooh Perplex"). 

Or the Nobel-prize winning zoologist and immunologist Peter 
Medawar, who said (in "Pluto's Republic", 1982):

"There is some truth in psychoanalysis, as there is in 
mesmerism and phrenology, but considered in its entirety, 
psychoanalysis won't do. It is an end-product, like a dinosaur or 
a Zeppelin; no better theory can ever be constructed on its 
ruins, which will remain as one of the saddest and strangest of 
all landmarks in the history of 20th century thought."  

(Amen, I say).

Or the great philosopher of science Karl Popper, whose 
assessment was:

"[Freud's theory] although posing as science, had in fact more in 
common with primitive myth than with science... it resembled 
astrology rather than astronomy"; (Popper (1965). Conjectures 
and Refutations (2nd ed.)).

Or the neurologist Percival Bailey, who observed in an essay 
titled "Sigmund Freud: Scientific Period" (an oxymoron, 
perhaps):

"If you will accept the term science in the sense of 
Naturwissenschaft, or _natural_ science, Freud didn't do any 
more "natural scientific" research after 1897 [before "The 
Interpretation of Dreams"].  He ended there. After that what he 
did was speculate. He never tried to subject any of his ideas to 
experimental tests, and furthermore, he was quite hostile to the 
suggestion...So I stopped at 1897 because that was the last 
time that he wrote a scientific paper in the sense of 
Naturwissenschaft". (Bailey, 1964).  

(quotes all recycled from long-forgotten posts of mine to TIPS).


Stephen

--------------------------------------------
Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.          
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus   
Bishop's University               
e-mail:  sblack at ubishops.ca
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