Face to face: Carl Jung

38 MINUTES

‘Man cannot stand a meaningless life’ – a conversation with Carl Jung at 84

Filmed for the BBC series Face to Face in 1959, this archival interview features Carl Jung surveying his life and extraordinarily influential career at the age of 84, just two years before his death. In conversation with the UK presenter John Freeman at his home near Zurich, Switzerland, he answers a range of questions about his humble upbringing, his contentious relationship with Freud, his fervent beliefs in God and the collective unconscious, and his thoughts on death and the future of humanity. Jung’s answers are often quite candid and at times casually poetic, making for a riveting intimate encounter with one of the most important thinkers in the history of psychology.

THINKERS AND THEORIESHISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRYPSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS

Video by Face to Face

Explore more

Aerial photo of Würzburg, a European cityscape with historic buildings, church spires and a clock tower under a partly cloudy sky.
TRAVEL

Why ‘false authenticity’ is so unsettling

The Old Town of Würzburg seemed to offer a real connection to the past. But none of it was authentic

by Sam Dresser

An elderly woman in a blue jacket holding a book, smiling warmly at the camera indoors.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

Converted by Sister Ruth

At a Texas convent, what could a sublimely uncouth sister in her mid-80s teach me about helping people?

by Ronald W Dworkin

Surreal painting of a celestial figure surrounded by angels and clouds, with vivid colours and dynamic movement.
THINKERS AND THEORIES

Embrace conflict, reject authority – William Blake’s radical vision of a meaningful life

Video by Great Books Explained

People on a boat deck taking a selfie against a city skyline with clear blue sky, towels and sun hats visible.
PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

Plato warned that some pleasures separate us from reality

The contemporary obsession with feeling good might mean we’re losing sight of what makes life genuinely meaningful

by Derek van Zoonen

Pencil sketches of six faces and profiles on paper including bearded men and a woman with hair tied back.
MEANING AND THE GOOD LIFE

As if

Why we should embrace beliefs or stories that may not be, strictly speaking, true but are to some extent useful or good

by Sam Dresser

Black and white photo of soldiers and damaged tanks under trees in a wartime setting. One soldier crouches in the foreground.
CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

An unlikely meeting that shaped history

The diplomatic intervention by a philosopher on a president shows the extraordinary consequences of unlikely meetings

by Sam Dresser

Marble sculpture of a dynamic struggle between two naked figures on a dark background, showcasing intricate details and movement.
GENDER

Plato’s challenge to the meaning of manliness still resonates

Even in ancient Greece, Plato questioned whether gender norms around masculinity were good for men’s individual freedom

by Yancy Hughes Dominick

Black and white photo of a man and woman sitting under an umbrella; the woman leans on the man’s shoulder.
COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

True contact is found in silence

For Emil Cioran, ‘true contact’ with another is the deep intimacy that emerges through mute togetherness

by Sam Dresser