The Future of an Illusion

Freud opens by noting that while eliminating religion may lead to an overall improvement in society, he believes that everyone is terrified that something terrible could happen if religion were to be lost, “as though it would expose civilization to a still greater danger” (40). In this chapter, Freud will argue that instead of causing a descent into chaos, getting rid of religion will only strengthen peoples’ ties to society, in particular by changing their relationship to laws.

Freud takes as an example laws against murdering. Freud explains how the prohibition of killing naturally comes about in society as being killed represents “an equal danger for everyone” (40), so people join together in a community to collectively prohibit murder. However, civilization instead explains the prohibition of murder through religion, turning the law into a sacred proclamation issued by God. Freud believes that using religion to justify the law provides it with “a character of sanctity and inviolability” that spreads to all laws (41), making the law seem to be both universal and something that can never be altered. If the masses instead understood law as something socially constructed by humans, they might view it more favorably and seek its improvement.