In his book, Zuckermann begins by addressing the current state of psychoanalysis concerning its emancipatory claim to truth, as well as the interconnected thinking of Marx and Freud, with a particular focus on their concepts of culture. This is followed by two excursions on Freud's critique of religion, first in the general context of the modern discourse on religious criticism, and secondly in an explicit comparison of Freud with Kant regarding this issue. To conclude, a case study demonstrates the impact of three categories of Freudian thought on the political culture of Israel, specifically in relation to the ideologization of fear, guilt, and repression. A separate chapter is dedicated to the attempt to interpret the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 through the psychoanalytic category of "patricide.".