MSJC Philosophy Instructor's Book Offers "Freud for Thought"
11/29/2023
Is indulging the "child within" with fame or fortune the path to happiness and a meaningful life? In his book "Freud for Thought: On Forging the Philosophical Life," Thomas Donovan, Ph.D., chair of Philosophy at Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC), suggests there's a better way.
Donovan asserts that Freud's "Civilization and its Discontents," first published in 1930, is still relevant today. Using Freud's work as a foundation, Donovan's book urges readers to resist the temptations of celebrity culture, materialism and the pursuit of power and success by reining in childlike instincts through a mature process of "deep reflection, conversation, and noble practices" to find the true path to happiness. This is Donovan's third book. His other books are "The Dialectic of Enlightenment as Sport" and "The False Dialectic Between Christians and Atheists." An associate professor at MSJC for 15 years, Donovan teaches online and in person classes in Philosophy and Critical Thinking.
