[lbo-talk] U.S. in Israel's corner; IS is US

[c b]

[lbo-talk] Wojtek S
Dennis: "And outside of analysis itself, don't you think learning
about psychoanalysis helps further understanding of this world we're
living in?"
[WS:] I think psychoanalysis obscures more than it can explain. "Inner
sexual desires?" It reads more like a trashy novel than a scientific
analysis.

Do not get me wrong, I agree with your main point that understanding
the motives of human actors can provide useful insights into our
understanding of institutional behavior. I just do not think that
psychoanalysis is the right tool to do this job. It focuses too much
on non-observable "inner motives" while missing social determinants of
these motives. In that respect, psychoanalysis is to behavioral
science what the neo-classical school is to economics.

Wojtek

^^^^^
CB: Would we say that Israeli commandos attacked the flotilla because
Israel has an unusally high percentage of leaders ( people ?) who are
lunatics ?

What is the psychanalytical term for "lunatic" ?