Objectivity and Human Perception: Revisions and Crossroads in Psychoanalysis and Philosophy

William Glassman is a professor of psychology at Ryerson Polytechnical
University in Toronto.

It is not unusual today for psychoanalytically-trained individuals to reinterpret fiction. However, at first it seems like “man bites dog” to find a professor of English reinterpreting psychoanalysis. Yet, as M.D. Faber demonstrates in Objectivity and Human Perception, an outsider can often offer a fresh perspective.

Faber begins with a reinterpretation of the meaning of experiences in early infancy, but his concerns extend beyond psychoanalysis to science in general, philosophy, and contemporary social issues. Essentially he argues that ordinary consciousness involves internalization of objects, and hence is not neutral in the standard scientific sense. As well, the presumed separability of reason from emotions (traced to Descartes) is illusory. The notion that scientific observation is partly subjective is not new, having been noted by Thomas Kuhn and Carl Rogers, among others. However, Faber connects the neurotic nature of ordinary consciousness to broader issues, as noted above. He draws upon a wide range of sources and offers some interesting interpretations, but in his analysis he faces a general problem, which may be illustrated by the chapter “Perceptive Mind-Rest.” In discussing a higher form of consciousness (often called mystical), Faber (unlike Freud, who saw it as regressive) argues that it can provide the basis for a truer understanding of the world. Herein lies the problem: to those already familiar with the subject, his attempts at analysis are likely to seem superfluous, and to those unfamiliar, they may be unconvincing. It is a very old dilemma (Buddha supposedly despaired of trying to teach his ideas), and one that Faber seems to recognize, if not solve. Still, it is possible that readers may be led to new insights by reading this book, and there is no doubt that the larger issues deserve consideration.