Episodes

8 episodes in this season

A Mighty Maze

62 min

The Abdication of Belief

64 min

Wisdom of the Age

62 min

Disturb the Universe

62 min

Downward to Darkness

62 min

The Ruins of Meaning

64 min

As an Endless Dream

62 min

Now Playing

Unfathomable Reservoirs of the Absurd

62 min

Ideas of the 20th Century

TV Series

20261h 2m

DocumentaryTalkWar & Politics

Now playing

Unfathomable Reservoirs of the Absurd

Season 1 · Episode 8 · Mar 19, 2026

In our eighth and final lecture, we investigate how World War I trauma created "unfathomable reservoirs of the absurd" that veterans couldn't express, leading to Freud's psychoanalytic theories gaining cultural prominence. We explore Freud's dream interpretation, his id-ego-superego model, and his controversial death drive theory. We then analyze how Freudian ideas influenced cultural movements, particularly Luigi Pirandello's theatrical exploration of multiple, contradictory selves, and the Surrealist movement's attempt to access and express this hidden psychological truth through art that suspends rational consciousness.

More details

Ideas of the 20th Century

TV Series

20261h 2m

DocumentaryTalkWar & Politics

Now playing

Unfathomable Reservoirs of the Absurd

Season 1 · Episode 8 · Mar 19, 2026

More details