Embracing The Void

In Embracing the Void, renowned psychoanalytic philosopher Richard Boothby presents a groundbreaking theory of religion rooted in Jacques Lacan’s concept of das Ding—the unsettling, unreachable core of the other. This notion, first encountered in the mother figure, represents an excess beyond understanding and marks a decisive break from Freud’s Oedipal framework. It also serves as the foundation of Lacan’s unique view of the unconscious. Drawing on this idea, Boothby argues that our experience of the sacred emerges from our encounter with the unknowable.

The book begins by tracing Freud’s various attempts to formulate a psychoanalytic theory of religion, then contrasts them with Lacan’s radical reinterpretation. Building on this contrast, Boothby develops a set of theoretical tools to explore the religious impulse and applies them to a range of traditions—from ancient Greek mythology and the Abrahamic faiths to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. He concludes by examining the spiritual dynamics of modern capitalist culture and its reigning idol: money. Clear, thought-provoking, and deeply engaging, Embracing the Void offers a fresh perspective on one of psychoanalysis’s most debated themes and reshapes how we understand the roots of religion.

I will add a review as soon as I’m finished reading it! Stay tuned.