Introduction

Abstract

The introduction explains the content and structure of the book. The book considers both the negative and positive implications of a priori transmission of values and knowledge. It examines various aspects of prejudice from the perspectives of psychoanalysis, biology, sociology and law. The contributors consider prejudice to be a judgement that precedes experience. It organizes and discriminates the events and facts we must assess to understand our surrounding world, thereby helping us make sense of the world of words, concepts, networks and values into which we are born. The book explores how it affects our lives and interactions with others. There are chapters on racism, superstition, discrimination and prejudice in psychoanalytic practice. The introduction also explains the name of the book. The confrontation carried out during the 20th century has succeeded in bringing about inadmissible human situations owing to prejudice. It shows that the effort in multidisciplinary analysis and social struggle has made significant achievements for the first time in many millennia.