On 17 January 2014, on the first snowy evening of this year’s winter, Tomasz Kopoczyński Law Company and the place of its cultural meetings, Manor of Sierakowscy, hosted another young celebrity of polish humanities, habilitated doctor Adam Lipszyc, professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of Polish Academy of Science, lecturer at Collegium Civitas, intern at Oxford and at Vienna Institute for Human Sciences. Professor Lipszyc has already become laureate of „Literature in the World” prize for his book Ślad judaizmu w filozofii XX wieku and of Gdynia Literary Prize for Sprawiedliwość na końcu języka. Czytanie Waltera Benjamina.
Introduced by regular participant of our meetings, professor Maciej Michalski, our guest gave lecture entitled „Sigmund Freud: how not to be too happy”. As befits provocative title, professor Lipszyc provoked his audience to consider shape of their own identity, and at the same time clarified thoughts of a Viennese psychoanalyst in uniquely intelligible, figurative manner. In a colorful flow of metaphors, including both evolution of Freud’s ideas and explanation of his most significant concepts, Adam Lipszyc agreed with the standpoint that psychoanalysis is unscientific, but defended Freudianism as a philosophical, exceptionally prolific concept of man, picturing human being as creature torn yet constantly seeking balance. Dynamic lecture was crowned by almost ritual kissing of an ear of professor Michalski, illustrating desires and instincts which keep pending us constantly.