In this last episode of this miniseries I give Jung’s main argument and its pros and cons.
My feelings about the difficulties of the work are as follows:
Firstly, relevance. How much can it offer the modern world?
Secondly, isolationism - its removal from the other analytic disciplines.
Thirdly, certain inconsistencies which may confuse the reader.
Fourthly, contradiction - whether the archetype of the Self is the totality or a specific archetype.
Fifthly, the inherent difficulty of the text.
Some of its strengths are as follows:
1: Its passion and tremendous personal conviction.
2: Its roots in childhood experiences (visions, dreams).
3: Jung speaks with many voices, as it were out of the depth of many esoteric traditions.
4: The audacity of the text
5: Jung uses a new voice – that of archetypal psychology combined with mythology and gnosticism.
6: Answer to Job reinforces Jung’s impact on the practice of psychotherapy.
7: Answer to Job has a deep theological critique of Christian and Judaic civilizations.
8: Jung insisted on the dangers of an apocalypse in our times.
9: Jung insists on the overarching metaphysical dimension to human existence.
