Temporality, Shame, and the Problem of Evil in Jungian Psychology: An Exchange of Ideas

Murray Stein and Elena Caramazza explore the themes of temporality, shame, and evil through a unique epistolary style, drawing inspiration from Wolfgang Pauli's The Piano Lesson. They explore how Pauli merged quantum physics and depth psychology in his work, using piano music as a symbolic solution to combine causality and meaning. This interdisciplinary book is a valuable resource for courses in Jungian and post-Jungian studies, philosophy, psychoanalytic studies, psychology, and the social sciences.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 104 pages
Publication date: 19 October 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Through a captivating epistolary style, authors Murray Stein and Elena Caramazza delve into profound and introspective conversations surrounding the themes of temporality, shame, and evil. Fueled by Wolfgang Pauli's thought-provoking novel, The Piano Lesson, Stein and Caramazza explore the intricate interplay between these concepts. They examine the role of temporality and consider the significance of shame and evil in shaping this relationship. In this captivating book, Stein showcases how Pauli, through his engagement with C.G. Jung and analytical psychology, embarked on a thought-provoking experiment to merge two distinct realms of scientific thought: quantum physics and depth psychology.

In his masterpiece of active imagination, The Piano Lesson, Pauli ingeniously intertwines the former, offering a causal explanation of the mechanics of the material world, with the latter, providing an avenue to meaning. The challenge of harmonizing these two currents in a single language is addressed symbolically in Pauli's symbolic solution, piano music. Through the fusion of the black and white keys, piano music represents a unified theory that seamlessly combines explanations of causality with the profound insights offered by synchronicity.

This interdisciplinary and innovative exchange concludes with a script penned by Murray Stein, inspired by Pauli, as well as an insightful afterword by renowned Jungian scholars. This book serves as a valuable resource for undergraduate and postgraduate courses and seminars in Jungian and post-Jungian studies, philosophy, psychoanalytic studies, psychology, and the social sciences. It offers a fresh perspective on these profound themes, encouraging readers to delve deeper into the complexities of human existence and the profound mysteries of the universe.

Weight: 168g
Dimension: 137 x 214 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367465773