Why does civilization make us unhappy? In this landmark work, Sigmund Freud turns his psychoanalytic lens from the individual to society itself. He argues that the same instincts we must tame to live together—aggression, sexuality, the craving for freedom—are the very sources of our deepest discontent. The price of culture is guilt, and guilt is the hidden engine of modern misery. Written with Freud’s characteristic clarity and unsettling honesty, Civilization and Its Discontents explores the oceanic feeling of religion, the illusion of happiness, the rise of the super-ego, and the inescapable conflict between our primal nature and the demands of communal life. This modern-English edition preserves the power of Freud’s argument while making it accessible to today’s reader. Whether you are new to psychoanalysis or returning to a classic, this is an invitation to think critically about the world we have built—and the cost of building it. Part of The Modern Wisdom Library.