Abstract

Having as a backdrop the big themes that generated and still generate many comparisons between Nietzsche and Freud, this paper fundamentally discusses one aspect of the German philosopher’s Freudian reception: how the treatment dedicated to the theme of suffering is one of the main links between these two thoughts and, more broadly, between philosophy and psychoanalysis. Regardless of how much the psychoanalyst actually had read of the philosopher’s work, there is a broader context that proves the genuine concern of the time with the topic and, therefore, ensures possible dialogue between the two thinkers: the “controversy” over pessimism. From this point of view, we seek to contribute to a broader debate in which not only psychoanalysis, but also philosophy, are considered therapeutic practices that, as reactions to suffering, transform and, at the same time, create subjectivities.