Philosophy of Dreams

“In this discussable, provocative, and exhilarating essay on the origins of culture, Christoph Türcke brilliantly combines a general theory of culture with a sharp critique of present society.”—Detlev Claussen, Leibniz University of Hannover

~Detlev Claussen

“One of Germany’s leading intellectuals reconstructs the process of civilization in this masterful and original new book.  Attempting to understand both the genesis of culture and the genesis of mind, Türcke shows how our technological age leads straight back to prehistory.”—Oliver Decker, Universität Siegen

~Oliver Decker

"An elegant and profound speculation, Philosophy of Dreams recasts Freud’s theory of dreams as a theory of human pre-history and its persistence in the technologized mind of the present. Wide-ranging and infinitely stimulating, Türcke presents nothing less than a  complex and highly original philosophy of cognition and representation."—Silke-Maria Weineck, University of Michigan

~Silke-Maria Weineck

Praise for the German Edition:



“The book covers just two-hundred fifty pages, but they are full to the brim. It remains to hope that “Philosophies des Traums” will be recognized for what it is; the genuine continuation, when not the “Aufhebung” of Freud’s theory.”—Burkhard Müller, Süddeutsche Zeitung

~Burkhard Müller

“astute”—Su¨ddeutsche Zeitung

~Süddeutsche Zeitung

“original”—Die Welt

~Die Welt

“audacious”—Literaturen

~Literaturen

“remarkable”—Die ZEIT

~Die ZEIT

“stunningly plausible”—Neue Zu¨rcher Zeitung

~Neue Zürcher Zeitung