Consciousness and the Unconscious

First published in 1984, this book deals with the concept of ’the unconscious’ as originally defined by Freud, and as subsequently developed, defended and criticized in continental writing at the time. It starts by describing the institutional context in which psychoanalytic theory developed, and the philosophical context which it met.

David Archard is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast, having previously taught at the Universities of Ulster, St. Andrews and Lancaster. He has published extensively in applied ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of law, especially on the topics of children, the family, sexual consent and the public role of philosophy. He was a Member of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (2005-2016), Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2017-2023) and is a Member of the Clinical Ethics Committee of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He is Honorary Vice-President of the Society for Applied Philosophy.