Two Jungs: Two Sciences?

What is it about?

An examination of Jung's ambiguous approach to science. Jung calls himself a scientist but is also very critical of the assumptions of the science of his day. His followers have tended to highlight either its scientific validity or its non-scientifc qualities. In this paper I try to show that Jung intentionally subverts scientific orthodoxy while simultaneously remaining a scientist. This fits into the general pattern of his psychology whereby conflicting opposites are brought together to enable a third new thing to be created. I compare this approach with that of French philosophers Deleuze and Guattari, who posit a contrast between two aspects of science: royal or state science, which stresses consistency, stability and predictability and nomad science which stresses transformation and fluidity. They suggest that science consists of the interaction between these two tendencies. Finally, I look at Jung's Red Book and revision it as an unorthodox work of science.

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