Terrors and Experts
Terrors and Experts by Adam Phillips is a thought-provoking exploration published by Faber & Faber in 1997. This first edition, comprising 110 pages, delves into the complexities of expertise and its impact on our understanding of the self. Phillips challenges traditional notions of self-knowledge, arguing that the desire for certainty can lead to a form of terror imposed by experts, including psychoanalysts.
In this work, Phillips examines the intricate relationship between psychoanalysis and the quest for self-understanding. He posits that the very act of seeking knowledge about oneself may be more problematic than beneficial. By scrutinizing our inclination to trust in authority figures, the book presents a nuanced revision of psychoanalytic thought, inviting readers to reconsider the role of expertise in their lives.
Official synopsis Publisher
In the style of his earlier books, On Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored and On Flirtation, the author discusses ways in which we may be terrorized by experts, and the idea of expertise itself. He challenges the conventional idea of the self as something to be known, and sets out to show how self-knowledge is the problem rather than the solution. By examining our wish to believe things – and people (including psychoanalysts) – the book offers a revision of psychoanalysis itself. For to take psychoanalysis seriously, Phillips suggests, is to be unable to take gurus seriously.
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