Adam Phillips is an internationally renowned British Jewish psychoanalyst, essayist, and literary critic. He formerly served as the Principal Child Psychotherapist at Charing Cross Hospital in London.
Phillips is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant essayists of our time. His books, such as On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored and Missing Out: In Praise of the Unlived Life, move beyond the dryness of clinical psychology, transforming psychoanalysis into a poetics of “how to live.” He is also the General Editor of the New Penguin Freud. His career is dedicated to exploring the ambiguities and contradictions of human experience, arguing that we should learn to live with—rather than master—our “incurable” desires.
Phillips’ political stance is rooted in his deep understanding of “moral imagination.” He is one of the original signatories of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV UK). He maintains that true Jewishness lies in the capacity for dissent and a vigilance against the exclusivity of power. He argues that defending Palestinian rights is, at its core, a refusal of “frozen identity politics.” He has noted: “If we cannot imagine the suffering of others, our moral sense becomes shriveled. As Jews, our history should not be a tool to justify the occupation of others. Justice requires us to face truths that make us uncomfortable. Recognizing Palestinian self-determination is part of maintaining our own integrity. We must allow for discussion rather than stifling dialogue with fear.” He has frequently used academic and cultural platforms to critique the conflation of criticizing Israeli policy with antisemitism.