Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. His theories about the unconscious mind and the nature of human civilization continue to influence psychology and culture.
Born in Freiberg, Moravia (now Czech Republic), Freud studied medicine in Vienna and developed psychoanalysis through clinical practice. His ideas about the unconscious, dream interpretation, and the structure of the psyche transformed understanding of the human mind.
In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud explored the tension between individual desires and social constraints, raising questions about human nature and the possibility of improvement that remain relevant to discussions of human enhancement and technological transformation.