"In its famous paradox, the equation of money and excrement, psychoanalysis becomes the first science to state what common sense and the poets have long known - that the essence of money is in its absolute worthlessness"

In this quote, Norman O. Brown provides a provocative viewpoint on the nature of money by comparing it to excrement, utilizing psychoanalysis as a lens. The "popular paradox" Brown refers to is the idea that cash, similar to excrement, holds a peculiar place in human societal constructs: both are produced and designated value however are eventually lacking intrinsic worth.

Brown recommends that psychoanalysis, a discipline that often explores the surprise and quelched elements of the human mind, is pioneering in articulating an understanding of cash that has actually been intuited by sound judgment and articulated by poets throughout history: that its essence is "outright insignificance". This does not imply that money has no practical value-- its utility in assisting in trade and operating as a procedure of worth in economies is undeniable. Nevertheless, its "essence", or the core of what it represents, is rooted in a collective arrangement instead of in any tangible, intrinsic residential or commercial property.

By equating cash with excrement, Brown stimulates a visceral images that underscores the idea of change and purification in human cognition. Excrement, though usually viewed as a waste item, plays a role in natural cycles of decay and renewal. Likewise, cash changes labor and resources into value however, devoid of a fundamental worth other than for the one we designate to it, it too needs to cycle through these acts of ascription and trade to maintain its status.

The contrast likewise highlights a shared intricacy in societal taboos and desires. Cash, like bodily waste, stimulates powerful emotions-- greed, pity, desire, and even disgust. Psychoanalysis clarifies these psychological undercurrents, helping to dissect human accessory and hostility. Eventually, Brown's statement is a call to critically take a look at the social and mental constructs around money, questioning the validity of its respect and recognizing the latent ramifications of relating it with something as apparently unworthy as excrement. Through this lens, money's "insignificance" is not simply a review but likewise a reflection of the paradoxes and intricacies intrinsic in human culture and psychology.