Abacus Books
3 total works
To Have Or to Be? is one of the seminal books of the second half of the 20th century. Nothing less than a manifesto for a new social and psychological revolution to save our threatened planet, this book is a summary of the penetrating thought of Eric Fromm. His thesis is that two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity. To Have Or to Be? is a brilliant program for socioeconomic change.
First published in 1962, at the same time as Marx's Concept of Man, Beyond the Chains of Illusion is Erich Fromm's personal reflection on the overarching influence of Freud and Marx on his own life work. Deeply troubled by questions of individual and social responsibilities, Fromm began his studies of these two giants - who, ironically, are ever more related to 'the past' even as they are ever more intensely scrutinized today - at an early age. Fromm first establishes a common ground between Marx and Freud. He then proceeds to a unique and brilliant analysis of Freudian and Marxist theory. Throughout, Fromm shows how a sound understanding of both the father of modern psychotherapy and the father of 20th-century communism can lead to a single body of knowledge. His book has the quality of good literature, it is news that stays news and thereby sheds light on Erich Fromm's thinking during a seminal period of his life.