Used book – Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud, Clotilde Leguil, Bernard Lortholary

Freud's major texts revisited.

"The crucial question for the human species seems to me to be whether and to what extent the evolution of its civilization will succeed in overcoming the disturbances of communal life caused by human aggression and their self-destructive drive. In this respect, perhaps the present age deserves particular interest. Humans have now reached such a degree of mastery over the forces of nature that, with their help, it is easy for them to exterminate one another to the last. They know this, hence a good deal of their current apprehension, their unhappiness, their anxiety. It must therefore be hoped that the other of the two 'heavenly powers,' eternal Eros, will strive to prevail in the battle against its no less immortal adversary. But who can predict the success and the outcome?"

Sigmund Freud Translated from German by Bernard Lortholary Introduction, notes and bibliography by Clotilde Leguil