Did Strachey Falsely Scientize Freud?

Presenter: Professor Mark Solms

The claim that Strachey ‘falsely scientized’ Freud, mainly through the translation of his technical vocabulary, is the red thread that runs through all the major criticisms of the Standard Edition (e.g. Bettelheim, Ornston, Laplanche). In this lecture, Solms argues against this criticism on three grounds. (1) It fails to take account of the differing conventions employed in German and English scientific writing. (2) It fails to take account of Freud’s personal involvement in Strachey’s choices. (3) It fails to consider continuities between Freud’s neuroscientific and psychoanalytic writings. These points are illustrated by way of representative examples. Solms also takes the opportunity to describe and defend other editorial policy decisions that he took, and provides a general introduction to the form and content of the Revised Standard Edition.