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After escaping the Nazis in Vienna, legendary psychiatrist Dr. Sigmund Freud invites a
young, little known professor, C.S. Lewis, to his home in London. Lewis expects to be
called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book but the dying Freud has a
more significant agenda. On the day England entered WW II, Freud and Lewis clash
on the existence of God, love, sex and the meaning of life – only two weeks before
Freud chose to take his own.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Anna Freud: “If you want to know my father… read
his letters.”
Sigismund Schlomo Freud, born May 6, 1856 in
Frieberg, Moravia (Czech Republic) to Jacob and
Amalia Freud.
Amalia (teenager) was Jacob’s (40 yrs old) 3rd wife. He
was already a grandfather and had 2 sons from his first
marriage, 1 older than Amalia, and 1 a year younger.
Freud was cared for by a nursemaid until 2 1/2 years
old. She was a devout Roman Catholic and took him
to church with her.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
The nursemaid “told me a great deal about God
Almighty, and hell, and who instilled in me a high
opinion of my own capacities.”
His mother called him, her 1st born, her “golden Siggie”
and he was given his own room in which to study.
Age <2 Freud’s younger brother, Julius, died, absorbing
a lot of his mother’s time.
His nanny was accused of stealing and dismissed shortly
thereafter.
He later referred to religion, with its repetitive practices,
as the “universal obsessional neurosis.”
Sigmund Freud’s Life
His father, Jacob, was raised an Orthodox Jew, but his
religion faded as he aged.
Jacob read from the Hebrew Old Testament, the
Philippson Bible, and sent Freud a copy on his 35th
birthday.
Sigmund never learned Hebrew and knew only a little
Yiddish.
Jacob was a wool merchant, and the family relatively
poor, moved to Leipzig when Sigmund was 3 yo, and
then 1 yr later, to Vienna, Austria.
Sigmund lived and worked in Vienna until 1932, when
at the age of 82, he escaped to London to avoid the
Nazi invasion.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
In his teen years, Sigmund studied Judaism under Samuel
Hammerschlag, a secular Jew who emphasized the historical and
ethical side of Jewish history, rather than the religious aspects.
At age 17, Sigmund entered the University of Vienna and was
influenced by a philosophy professor, Franz Brentano, a former
priest, who swayed Freud considerably toward a theistic
worldview.
A lifelong empiricist, Freud declared in a letter to a friend that,
“He [Brentano] demonstrates the existence of God with as little
bias and as much precision as another might argue the advantage
of the wave over the emission theory… …I have ceased to be a
materialist and am not yet a theist.”
This inner ambivalence stayed with Freud his entire life, despite
his public endorsements of atheism.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Freud began reading “The Essence of Christianity” by Ludwig
Feuerbach and agreed with him that religion was the projection
of human need and deep-seated wishes, that “the substance and
object of religion is altogether human… divine wisdom is human
wisdom… the secret of theology is anthropology…”
Freud wrote in the “Future of an Illusion” that “We shall tell
ourselves that it would be very nice if there were a God who
created the world and was a benevolent providence…and an
afterlife…but…all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to
be.”
Within the medical communities of Europe, there was a distinct
disdain for the spiritual worldview an assumption that
empiricism was the only way to discover truth.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Sigmund worked in the lab of Ernest Brucke, who
asserted that no truth existed except that discernible by
the scientific method.
Vienna was >90% Catholic at the time. Freud faced
anti-Semitism in his efforts to obtain a professorship at
the University of Vienna, repeatedly being passed over
for a post. He waited 17 years. The usual wait was 4
years.
Medical journals at the time were filled with articles
illustrating how “Jews were profoundly flawed… and
predisposed to a host of illnesses.”
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Jacob Freud told his son Sigmund a story when
Sigmund was 10 yrs old about how an anti-Semite had
knocked his cap off into the mud and shouted “Jew!
Get off the pavement!”
His father meekly went and picked up his cap and kept
walking.
To Sigmund that response was “unheroic conduct.”
Sigmund fought real and perceived anti-Semitism all his
life.
On a train Freud was once called a “dirty Jew.” He
describes being “not in the least frightened by the
mob… I was quite prepared to kill him…”
Sigmund Freud’s Life
On Easter Sunday in 1886, at the age of 30, Freud
opened a private practice in neuropathology.
On Sept. 13, 1886, he married Martha Bernays in a
Town Hall in Germany, followed by a brief Jewish
ceremony in the home of the bride.
Jacob Freud died in Oct. 1896, and Sigmund, 40,
described it as “the most poignant loss in a man’s life.”
Despite viewing his father as a failure, the death struck
him hard, it “has affected me profoundly… I feel quite
uprooted.”
Freud began his self-analysis and proposed the
“Oedipus complex.”
Freud’s Apartment:
Berggasse 19, Vienna, Austria
Stairway to Freud’s
Consultation Rooms
Freud’s Couch
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Freud’s mother died in 1930, and he was surprisingly
unemotional: “I was not at the funeral.”
Freud and his family were exiled to London on June 6,
1938, fearing Nazi attacks on the Jews. He was made
to sign a letter that he had been treated fairly by the
Nazis prior to his departure.
Freud died Sept. 23, 1939 at the age of 83. He had
fought oral cancer for years, performing surgery on
himself, using cocaine as an anesthetic. He convinced
his personal physician, Dr. Max Schur, to administer 3
lethal doses of morphine, which led to his death.
Sigmund Freud - 1931
Golders Green Crematorium
Freud’s Memorial
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Freud seemed to struggle between what his nanny had
told him about having a “high opinion of his own
capacities,” and the external world’s desire to prove him
inferior.
His ideas were new, daring and based on his scientific
observations of human behavior. They were as
rigorously scientific as technology at the time would
allow.
His theories threatened the dominant majority’s
opinion of why humans behave the way they do.
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Freud’s ego, while strong, was also easily threatened by
others. Narcissism and shame are often closely wed.
His friendships with colleagues were often strained as
Freud found discussion and disagreements about his
theories threatening (eg, the splits with Adler and Jung).
Unfortunately, Freud’s superior intellect often left him
with little regard for the opinions of others. “For the
masses are lazy and unintelligent… …arguments are of
no avail against their passions.” And, “…not all men are
worthy of love.”
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Freud published >200 scholarly works (articles, books, etc.).
In 1910 he founded the International Psychoanalytical
Association, and the journal “Imago” in 1912.
Today Freud’s accomplishments are ranked with those of Planck
and Einstein.
He is listed as the 6th most influential scientist of all time.
He won the prestigious “Goethe prize” in 1930, and his face is on
the Austrian 50 shilling note.
He was made an Honorary Member of the British Royal Society
of Medicine in 1935.
President Franklin Roosevelt helped broker his safe transfer to
London in 1938.
He has been on the cover of “Time” magazine 3 times: 1924,
1939, 1993.
Freud Museum, London
Sigmund Freud’s Life
Thanks in large part to Freud, it is now widely
accepted that early relationships with parents
and caregivers strongly impacts later
psychological health.
These early life relationships, as we will also see
with C.S. Lewis, profoundly influence the
development of one’s worldview.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Clive Staples Lewis was born November 29, 1898 in
Belfast, Ireland to Albert and Florence Lewis, who
married August 29, 1894.
Albert was Welsh in descent, and Florence, Scottish.
His father worked practicing law in Belfast and was
moody and emotional. His mother was cool and
analytical.
Lewis’ grandfather was vicar and preached at their local
church. He would weep in the pulpit.
Lewis’ father’s and grandfather’s emotionality bred in
him a distrust for emotions and religion. He instead
embraced a materialist worldview.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
At age 4, Lewis informed his parents that he would go
by the name “Jack.”
At age 6, he first recognized beauty through creation—
moss, twigs and flowers. He called it ‘joy’ and
described it as a type of longing [which he eventually
recognized was for a Person].
From ages 6-8, his older brother, Warren was off at
boarding school. The cool, rainy, Belfast weather
contributed to his desire to spend time indoors. Lewis
lived almost entirely in his imagination: reading,
drawing and writing stories.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
At age 9, Lewis’ world was turned upside down when
his grandfather died and then his mother became sick
with cancer and died. He recalled her surgery in their
home and having to observe her corpse—after praying
to God for her healing.
Albert Lewis decided he could not care adequately for
the boys and sent them both off to boarding school.
Lewis hated boarding school. The headmaster “Oldie”
was cruel. He would beat the children mercilessly. He
was eventually convicted of undue cruelty and his
school shut down due to a lack of students. He was a
clergyman in the Church of England, a fact that was
not lost on Lewis.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Alone in those moments, Lewis would long for the
holidays, much like one longed for heaven. He began to
live by hope.
At his second boarding school, he was comforted by the
school Matron, Miss Cowie, a type of surrogate mother.
She held and comforted the shy Lewis, as well as the
other boys.
She dabbled in the occult and shared it with the boys. At
age 13, this served to snuff out any vestiges of faith that
Lewis held onto. He also began reading classic literature
where the authors assumed the illegitimacy of religion.
She was eventually fired.
Lewis was lonely and unhappy. He hated the snobbery
of the boarding school community.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Lewis’ father relented, allowing him to be tutored by
William T. Kirkpatrick, “The Great Knock,” an atheist
who taught Lewis logic and critical thinking. Lewis
considered Christianity one religious myth among
many.
It was the happiest time of Lewis’ life. He spent hours
reading books of his own choosing.
He read George MacDonald’s “Phantastes,” which
replanted the seeds of the spiritual worldview.
Lewis took the admission exam for Oxford University
on December 4, 1916. He failed the math section, but
was granted admittance through the Army Officer
Training Corps.
Oxford University
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Lewis became friends with Edward “Paddy” Moore in
his Officers Training course.
They agreed to care for each other’s parents if either of
them were killed. Lewis arrived in the trenches of
WWI on Nov. 29, 1917, on his 19th birthday.
When Paddy was killed, Lewis took care of his mother
until her death, calling her a surrogate mother.
Lewis was wounded and returned to Oxford in 1919,
spending the next 35 years there. After graduating in
1923, he taught philosophy for 1 year before accepting
a fellowship in English literature at Magdalen College at
Oxford in 1925.
Magdalen College,
Oxford University.
Lewis’ Office at Oxford
‘The Bird and the Baby’
‘The Inklings’ Corner
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Lewis corresponded with many people by letter.
He began corresponding with Helen Joy Davidman
Gresham, a poet from the United States. She was
divorced and surprisingly came to England to meet
Lewis in 1952. He was taken by her wit and intellect.
They reportedly played scrabble together in 5 different
languages.
In 1956, at age 57, he married her, age 41. She was
already diagnosed with bone cancer.
It looked like she would die, but they prayed, and her
cancer went into remission.
They had several years of happy marriage together
including a trip to Greece. She died in 1960. Her son,
Douglas, was 14 at the time.
Marriage License
The Kilns
Lewis’ Kitchen
Lewis’ Dining Room
Lewis’ Sitting Room
Lewis’ Bathroom
C.S. Lewis’ Life
C.S. Lewis has been called by “Time” magazine, the most
influential voice for the spiritual worldview, and graced its cover
in 1947.
He wrote >30 books including: “Surprised by Joy,” “Miracles,” “The
Problem of Pain,” “A Grief Observed,” “The Screwtape Letters,” “Mere
Christianity,” “The Great Divorce,” “The Abolition of Man,” “The
Weight of Glory.”
As a student at Oxford, he won a triple first, the highest honors
in 3 areas of study.
He was awarded the position of Chair in Medieval and
Renaissance English Literature at Cambridge University.
He was an immensely popular lecturer, filling lecture halls to
standing room capacity.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
“Oxford History of English
Literature” (OHEL)
“The Chronicles of Narnia” – books
and movies.
“Shadowlands” – movie and
broadway play.
The second most recognizable
voice on the BBC during WWII,
behind Winston Churchill.
Shadowlands
Shadowlands
Opened 10/8/07, Wyndham’s Theatre,
London. Closed 2/23/08, Novello
Theatre, London.
William Nicholson’s play ‘Shadowlands’ is
set in Oxford during the 1950s and is the
moving true love story between C.S. Lewis
and Helen Joy Davidman Gresham. Lewis
had remained a confirmed bachelor until his
fifties when he met and was enchanted by
Joy Davidman, an American divorcee with 2
young children. They fell in love and were
secretly married. Lewis’ ensuing encounter
with love and suffering led him to reconsider
many of the beliefs he had held so staunchly
before their fateful meeting.
“Why love if losing hurts so much? The pain
now is part of the happiness then. That’s the
deal.” --C.S. Lewis
Shadowlands - London
“The Chronicles of Narnia”
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Lewis, too, embraced a materialist worldview for much of his life.
Some of this may have been a rebellious response against his
father, in part, for sending him away to boarding school at a time
of intense emotional need following his mother’s death. “I
maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with
God for not existing.”
Later, while at Oxford, he was converted first to theism in 1929,
and then to Christianity in 1931. His conversion is detailed in his
book ‘Surprised by Joy.’
Lewis became convinced of the existence of a universal Moral
Law, and also of an Author for that law. He believed this law had
to have come from somewhere or some-One. He also believed
man’s ability to reason pointed to a rational Creator.
As a literary critic, he re-examined the religious myths of antiquity
and became convinced that the Christian myth had actual historic
validity in the coming of Jesus Christ.
C.S. Lewis’ Life
Lewis thought that our wishes for a protective father did not rule
out the possibility of a protective God but instead pointed to the
existence of one. “Creatures are not born with desires unless
satisfaction for those desires also exists. A baby feels
hunger..there is…food. Men feel sexual desire..there is…sex.”
Lewis thought that our dissatisfaction in this life pointed to the
fact that we were made for another world, otherwise, he thought,
“the universe is a fraud.”
He was loved by his colleagues for his intelligence, warmth and
politeness. He too had fought battles and suffered devastating
losses in his life, yet somehow did not become bitter and
contentious.
Suffering and Pain: Freud
Loss of his nanny.
Anti-semitism (Freud attributed this to: fear of
castration, jealousy of God’s chosen people, displaced
anger against Christians). During Nazi occupation,
Freud gave cyanide pills to his daughter Anna in case
she was tortured when questioned at Gestapo
headquarters.
Loss of his daughter, Sophie, and her son, Heinle.
Criticisms of work: psychoanalysis not generalizable
beyond unique Viennese culture. ‘Jewish science’ vs
‘Aryan science.’
Suffering and Pain: Freud
Freud suffered from bouts of depression and anxiety,
nicotine dependence, cocaine use, and the fear of death.
Diagnosed with oral cancer in 1923 at age 67. His
doctor withheld the diagnosis for fear Freud would kill
himself.
He had 33 operations, usually under local anesthesia,
for his cancer.
He had a metal plate placed in the roof of his mouth
and chose to eat alone.
Suffering and Pain: Freud
Freud wondered how there could be a loving God with
all of the suffering in this life?
To friend and Christian, Oskar Pfister, Freud wrote:
“how the devil do you reconcile all that we
experience… in this world with your assumption that
there is a moral order?”
Freud believed: “…the violent, cunning or ruthless man
seizes the envied good things of the world and the
pious man goes away empty. Obscure, unfeeling, and
unloving powers determine men’s fate.”
Suffering and Pain: Freud
At the death of his beloved daughter, Sophie, from the
influenza epidemic of 1920 Freud wrote to a colleague:
“I do not know what more there is to say. It is such a
paralyzing event, which can stir no afterthoughts when
one is not a believer…”
Freud wrote to another friend that neither he nor his
wife “has got over the monstrous fact of children dying
before their parents.”
Freud wondered “when my turn will come” and wished
his life to be over.
Suffering and Pain: Freud
At the loss of his 4 ½ year old grandson, Heinle, to
tuberculosis he writes: