Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten and Sigmund Freud were both influential philosophers, but they worked in different time periods and had different areas of focus. Baumgarten, an 18th-century German philosopher, is best known for his work on aesthetics and the philosophy of beauty. He coined the term "aesthetics" and argued that the study of beauty and art is a distinct area of philosophy that should be explored on its own terms. Freud, on the other hand, was an Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. He is best known for his theories on the unconscious mind, the role of sexuality in human behavior, and the development of the ego and superego. Freud believed that human behavior is largely driven by unconscious desires and conflicts, and that the key to understanding these motivations is through psychoanalysis. While there are some similarities between the two philosophers, such as their interest in the workings of the human mind, their approaches to philosophy and their areas of focus were quite different. Baumgarten was more concerned with aesthetics and the nature of beauty, while Freud focused on the unconscious and the psychological factors that influence human behavior.

1. Alexander Gottlieb
Baumgarten
SUBMITTED TO- Ar. REETA MAURYA SUBMITTED BY- A. K. MAURYA

2. INTRODUCTIO
N
 Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (1714-1762) was a German
philosopher who is known for his work in aesthetics and the
philosophy of art. He was a student of Christian Wolff.
 Baumgarten's major contribution to philosophy was his development of
aesthetics as a separate branch of philosophy. Prior to Baumgarten,
aesthetics was not a distinct area of study, but was often considered a
subfield of metaphysics or ethics. In his work "Aesthetica" (1750-1758),
Baumgarten defined aesthetics as the study of sensory perception
and the appreciation of beauty.
 Immanuel Kant, who was one of Baumgarten's students, built upon
Baumgarten's ideas and developed a more complex and systematic
account of aesthetics in his "Critique of Judgment" (1790).
 In addition to his work in aesthetics, Baumgarten made contributions
to logic, metaphysics, and ethics.

3. VIEWS ON
AESTHETICS
•Baumgarten defined aesthetics as the study of sensory perception
and the appreciation of beauty.
•He believed that the aesthetic experience was distinct from other
forms of experience, such as cognitive or moral experience, and that it
was an important aspect of human life.
•Baumgarten defined beauty as a quality that gives pleasure to the
senses, and he believed that the appreciation of beauty was a universal
human experience.
•He also distinguished between the beauty of nature and the beauty of art,
arguing that the beauty of art involved not just sensory pleasure, but
also intellectual appreciation and emotional engagement.

4. VIEWS ON
AESTHETICS
•Baumgarten discussed the concept of the sublime, which he believed was
an experience that was both pleasurable and overwhelming. He believed
that the experience of the sublime involved a sense of awe and
wonder in the face of something that is both powerful and terrifying.
•Baumgarten emphasized the role of imagination in the aesthetic
experience. He believed that the imagination played a crucial role in our
ability to appreciate beauty and the sublime, and that it was responsible for
our ability to form mental images of sensory experiences.

5. KNOWING PERFECTION (3
WAYS)
1. Beauty is what we perceive as perfect through our senses.
2. Truth is what we perceive as perfect through our reasoning ability.
3. The Good is what we achieve as perfect through our moral
choices and actions.

6. VIEWS OF EMMANUEL
KANT
•Kant believed that aesthetics was concerned with the fundamental
concepts and principles that underlie our experience of beauty, rather
than just sensory perception and the appreciation of beauty.
•He saw the aesthetic experience as involving a unique kind of judgment,
which he called a "judgment of taste," that was based on subjective
feeling rather than objective criteria.
•Kant believed that the judgment of taste involved a "free play"
between the imagination and understanding, where the imagination
supplied sensory data and the understanding supplied concepts and
categories to make sense of that data.
•Kant acknowledged Baumgarten's contribution to the development
of aesthetics as a separate branch of philosophy and built upon his
work to develop his own comprehensive theory of aesthetics.

7. CRITICISM OF LEO
TOLSTOY
 Good, truth and beauty have nothing in common and may even
oppose each other.
 Lack of moral or spiritual dimension: Tolstoy argued that
Baumgarten's aesthetics failed to recognize the moral or spiritual
dimension of art.
 Focus on subjective experience: Tolstoy also criticized Baumgarten's
emphasis on individual, subjective experience of art. He believed that
true art should be universal and appeal to a broader, collective sense of
humanity.
 Obsession with technique: Tolstoy argued that Baumgarten's
aesthetics placed too much emphasis on technical skill and
craftsmanship, rather than the emotional or spiritual content of art.

8. Sigmund
Freud

9. INTRODUCTIO
N
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the
founder of psychoanalysis. Won Goethe’s literary prize in 1930.
o He revolutionized the field of psychology with his theories on the
human psyche and the role of the unconscious mind in shaping
behavior.
o Freud studied medicine at the University of Vienna and specialized
in neurology.
o His theories on the unconscious, defense mechanisms, and the
Oedipus complex are among his most famous contributions to
psychology.
o Freud's work has had a significant impact on the fields of literature,
art, and cultural studies.
o He was a prolific writer, publishing numerous books and articles
throughout his career.
o Freud's ideas continue to be debated and studied in psychology and
other fields to this day.

10. BOOKS
PUBLISHED
 “Studies in Hysteria" (1895)
 "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1899)
 "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" (1905)
 "Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious" (1905)
 "Psychopathology of Everyday Life" (1907)
 "Totem and Taboo" (1913)
 "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" (1920)
 "The Ego and the Id" (1923)
 "Civilization and Its Discontents" (1930)
 "Moses and Monotheism" (1939)

11. SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
PSYCHOANALYSIS
 The concept of the unconscious and conscious mind
 The use of talk therapy (talking cure)
 The role of childhood experiences in shaping adult behavior
 Development of defense mechanisms
 A focus on the interpretation of dreams
 Concept of the Oedipus complex (psychosexual development)
 The idea that psychological problems can have physical origins
 Life and death instincts
 The id, ego and superego

12. DEFENCE MECHANISM
EXAMPLES
1.Repression: This involves pushing unacceptable thoughts or memories into
the unconscious mind. For example, a person who was sexually abused as a
child may have no conscious recollection of the event.
2.Denial: This involves refusing to accept or acknowledge reality. For example, a
person who is an alcoholic may deny that they have a problem with alcohol.
3.Projection: This involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or
feelings to someone else. For example, a person who is attracted to someone
else may accuse that person of being attracted to them.
4.Rationalization: This involves creating explanations or justifications for
unacceptable behavior. For example, a person who cheats on their partner may
justify their actions by saying that their partner was neglectful.
5.Displacement: This involves redirecting unacceptable feelings or impulses
from the original source to a more acceptable one. For example, a person who is
angry with their boss may come home and yell at their spouse.

13. DEFENCE MECHANISM
EXAMPLES
6.Sublimation: This involves channeling unacceptable impulses or desires into
more socially acceptable behaviors or activities. For example, a person with
aggressive tendencies may become a professional boxer to channel their
aggression into a competitive outlet.
7.Regression: This involves reverting to an earlier stage of development in
response to stress or anxiety. For example, a person who is stressed at work
may start to suck their thumb again.
8.Intellectualization: This involves avoiding uncomfortable emotions by
focusing on the intellectual aspects of a situation. For example, a person who
has been diagnosed with a serious illness may focus on the medical aspects of
the illness rather than their emotional response to it.
9.Undoing: This involves attempting to undo a previous behavior or thought by
engaging in a behavior that is the opposite of the original behavior or thought.
For example, a person who has lied may try to make up for it by being extra
honest in the future.

14. CRITICIS
M
1.Lack of empirical evidence: Many of Freud's theories were based on case
studies and personal observations rather than empirical evidence. Some argue
that this makes his theories less reliable and scientifically valid.
2.Overemphasis on sexuality: Some argue that Freud placed too much
emphasis on sexuality and that this focus detracted from other important aspects
of human development and behavior.
3.Lack of diversity: Critics have argued that Freud's theories were based on his
own experiences and those of his affluent Viennese patients, which limited the
diversity of his sample and may have influenced his theories.
4.Non-falsifiability: Some have criticized Freud's theories for being difficult to test
or disprove, which some argue makes them unscientific.