In this section, I'm going to attempt to revisit Freud's vocabulary and explain which words I have chosen to keep or not, and why. Like any other "Meccano reconstruction", this one is the result of our practice combined with a set of theoretical questions. The subject dawned on me one day as I was listening to a distinguished elderly lady speaking about her art. This already "classic" character in the history of psychoanalysis was delivering a brilliant scientific speech in a London Hall crowded with analysts. I don’t know how many of us have had the slightest clue what she was talking about. Her lecture sounded indeed like a quantum theory. I ventured to ask her how she could possibly use such a piece of work in her daily sessions with analysands. She answered that she uses common vocabulary and ideas with them, but that she needs - we need - to theorize to another level. On my way out of the Hall and  for years since, I have been mulling over a number of questions. Why should we be split between practice and theory? I mean, if we must practice theory or theorize practice, why shouldn’t we put the two together? While dwelling upon these questions, I always keep in mind how beneficial the teaching of Freud’s theories is. It provides us with some valuable insights for our own practice. It also gives our "neurons" a good "workout". Yet, sometimes the whole Thing appears to me like the “pilpul”*, the eternal discussions between Jewish theologians, students in a Yeshiva, or even ordinary believers. Useless stuff! But what a remarkable millenary training for the brain! An exercise equal to the one of the Witz, except this one is younger than the discussions around the sacred texts. [See an example in Witze] Undoubtedly, on this same ladder, the last stage of human development is psychoanalysis...

In short, theory is of capital importance for the training of an analyst. But is it one of those things about which L'homme de l'Art would say “once you learned it, you’ll better forget when you go into practice”? Moreover, we must remember that the most fruitful part of Freud’s theories was drawn from those of his patients. One can now argue, our patient's theories have changed from the ones of Freud's patients. We may observe that both are virtually the same in their infinite individual diversity. Despite claims here and there to the contrary, those phenomena have remained unaltered in “mental illnesses”. As far as I'm concerned, I have observed no progress whatsoever in human minds or behavior. Does it make any difference if we exchanged the Influenz Maschine for televisions sets in our delusions? Or if we observe that the great hysterical attacks are being replaced by somatic disorders? The psychical foundation and development of a human appear to me quite the same today as they always have and they will remain, unless we are one day transformed into artificial intelligence devices…

The decisive idea for this kind of reflections is that, despite Freud’s efforts to produce "science", psychoanalysis remains "knowledge" since it fails to possess the characteristics of its sister discipline. Not in the popperian sense ("falsification") as we seek to demonstrate in our work, but mainly because Freud had the brilliant idea of examining particular phenomena instead of general phenomena. Thus he created - unwillingly in part - a form of knowledge which cannot be reproduced and validated like a scientific experiment. It is a domain in which even the general aspects we discover have to be “updated” for the case of each individual analysand and also for each portion of his or hers “journey”.

If “we already established that”, as Mae West used as a refrain in one of her songs, why shouldn’t we try to forge a body of common knowledge between analysts and analysands? By trying to use mainly proper analytical concepts in everyday language without the aura of "science", this vocabulary is a "Meccano" test. One out of the set we are trying to demonstrate here.

* For definitions of the word "pilpul" go to http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=318&letter=P