»A sort of devil« (Keynes on Freud, 1925): Reflections on a century of Freud-criticism

Abstract

Controversies over the validity, scientific status and cultural significance of psychoanalysis have continued unabated since its foundation at the beginning of the twentieth century. This paper will focus on one debate, which took place in England in the mid 1920s, so as to give historical specificity to a striking example of a seemingly perennial conflict. Amongst the protagonists were John Maynard Keynes, economist and world banker, and Arthur Tansley, founder of British ecology. Through examining the controversy, the manner in which psychoanalysis was articulated with other fields for these thinkers will be explored, including the psychological foundations for Keynesian economics.