In this episode, I have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Richard Boothby. We discuss his marvelous book, “Embracing the Void: Rethinking the Origin of the Sacred.” Rick is a professor of philosophy at Loyola University Maryland. He is the author of Death and Desire: Psychoanalytic Theory in Lacan’s Return to Freud; Freud as Philosopher: Metapsychology after Lacan; Sex on the Couch: What Freud Still Has to Teach Us about Sex; and Blown Away: Refinding Life After My Son's Suicide.

Dr. Todd McGowan has said this book is the best psychoanalytic take on religion. I have to agree. As we discuss in the episode, our conversation will likely frustrate the non-religious and religious alike.

Some of the key moments in the episode include: 

• Freud’s approach to religion 
• Romain Rolland and the “oceanic feeling”
• Jacques Lacan
• the imaginary, the symbolic and the Real
• Das ding and its relationship to the religious impulse
• Greek polytheism
• Judaism
• Christianity
• An ethics of unknowing
• Negative capability
• And so much more!

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Void-Rethinking-Origin-Diaeresis/dp/0810145383

Blown Away Episode: https://www.quiqueautrey.com/podcast/episode/c483fdc2/dr-richard-boothby-finding-life-after-sons-suicide