Sociology and Explanations (Re: Hitchens responds to critics

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Mon Oct 1 09:18:02 PDT 2001


On Mon, 1 Oct 2001, Doug Henwood wrote:


> kelley wrote:
>
> >does anyone psychoanalyze the masterminds of our war machine?
>
> I don't know, but someone should. Why not?
>
> Doug
>

Any psychoanalysis here is neither necessary nor sufficient as an analysis of the U. S. war machine. Any psychological processes (e.g., sublimination) that a Freudian might posit here can only have real social and material effects if there is a complex network of technology, political relations, and economic arrangements that exists above and beyond any one person's unconscious conflicts and wishes.

I think it's a lot more productive to look at how social relations produce a society with a war machine and the kind of people who can "mastermind" the machine.

Which reminds me--whatever happened to kenneth m?

Miles



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