Philosopher Erich Fromm was born in the early 20th century and could witness all of its major developments (Cherry). Not only did it bring technological progress and new ideologies, but also bitter fruits of war unseen by mankind before. He contemplated the motives behind aggression and violence which led him to the study of psychology and sociology (Cherry). Fromm’s last work, “To Have or to Be” (1976), is the culmination of his strive to find and explain the purpose of human life. He perceived our existence as being driven by either the having or the being mode and explained this idea by using psychological finds merged with sociological evidence.
To Fromm, the two modes of existence are inherent to our nature. The two conflicting strives – desire to possess and desire to unite with others – are both present in us. Humans do possess some purely biological desires, but at the same time they have the so-called “conditions of human nature” caused by their advanced intellect and self-awareness. These conditions create certain needs that humans want to satisfy, such as the need to overcome the feeling of loneliness. In the having mode the feeling of satisfaction comes from a blunt fulfillment of the desire to possess. However, such a desire is not only aimed at material things but also at such things as power, money, and other people. The opposite of the having mode is the being mode, in which people satisfy their needs by mutual sharing and loving. The having mode is destructive both to an individual and to society, whereas the being mode is all the opposite. To Fromm, most of the world, in particular Western civilization, is directed by the having mode. Consequently, it is on the brink of a catastrophe.
The book starts with a viv...
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...h as food, drink, shelter, and clothing, which cannot be given up due to our nature.
It is interesting how Fromm exposes his theory from a perspective of the two great world religions – Christianity and Judaism. Unfortunately, he does not include an analysis of Islam – the second most widespread religion. The examination of Quran and its comparison with the Bible and the Talmud would have been a valuable addition to the book.
Even more appealing is Fromm’s innovative understanding of religion. He calls it “any group-shared system of thought and action that offers the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion”(Fromm 135). In this sense, every society in the world has had a religion. He says that modern society is characterized by a new religion – the Industrial religion. It developed because of the way modern society is rooted in the having mode.
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
From the sensitive topics, like those of ethnicity, race, mental disabilities, sexual orientation, or gender identity, society has taken some slow steps in a positive and more progressive direction regarding tolerance. It would be prudent to first take a closer look at how Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines and differentiates tolerance versus acceptance. Tolerance is defined as, “capacity to endure pain or hardship.” (Merriam-Webster) Acceptance on the other hand is defined as, “A taking or consenting to take something offered; 2. Approval.” (Merriam-Webster) The most identifiable difference between these two concepts is the interactive consent present in acceptance that is not as apparent in tolerance. Tolerance is a more passive concept,
Religion is a symbolic representation of society. The sociological approach to religious belief looks at how society behaves on a whole, to answer the question, “Why are people religious?” We express our participation in religious events through plays, acts of confession, religious dances, etc. To begin to understand why we have such term, let’s understand the common elements of religion. There are different types in which people believe in or follow and that is: animatism, animism, ancestral spirits, god and goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Beyond these different elements, such one is to have religious leaders to follow.
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Two very defining characteristics of the societies present around the world, both past and present, are those of imperialism and existentialism. Whether it be as broad as a government or as small as a person, there is an overwhelming presence of power hunger and greed and complete disregard for those who may be “in the way”. So too is the seemingly mindless existence which people live life with. What the world strongly needs now is people who actually contain a soul; a soul that makes a human a human. Sadly, this is very much lacking.
For generations mankind has tried to answer the question about their purpose here on earth and tried to explain human behavior. In their written works, Freud and Nietzsche develop independent hypotheses about the evolution of civilization from its beginning, and similarly assess the unintentional effects caused by society on an individual’s life.
In "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem," Erich Fromm (1963) argues that society will self-destruct without achieving freedom through disobedience. Fromm begins with analogies of Hebrew and Greek mythology showing how disobedience to a god freed humans. Using this correlation, Fromm shows freedom as a condition for disobedience, and vice- versa. Therefore, Fromm proclaims that without disobedience the human race could destroy itself within a generation.
Thanatology is derived from the Greek word Thanatos, which means death; Death of the physical self and death of the internal self. As Sigmund Freud institutes in his work Beyond the Pleasure Principle there are two drives in the brain that both coincide and conflict within the individual and one of these drives is death itself. Eros is the drive of life, love, creativity, sexuality, self-satisfaction, and species preservation. Thanatos consists of aggression, sadism, destruction, violence and the unknown thoughts of death (Freud, 1953). These self-destructive characteristics are present in all human beings, but they are in the unconscious part of the mind that can be accessed but can also be repressed in order to survive (Freud, 1953). The purpose of this essay is to examine the history of Thanatology, what it is, and the correlations of Sigmund’s Freud’s understanding of the unconscious death instinct that has infiltrated into today 's society.
Erich Fromm in his psychoanalytical approach to religion is distinct from the earlier works of Sigmund Freud. Fromm defines religion as “any system of thought and action shared by a group which gives the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion.” Fromm argues that irreligious systems including all the different kinds of idealism and “private” religions deserve being defined as a “religion.” Based on Fromm’s theory, it is explained that there is no human being who does not have a “religious need,” almost every part of human life reflects religious need and its fulfillment, in fact he states it to be “inherent” in man.
Human beings have been struggling to learn the meaning of life since the first day. Ideologies are born as human’s interpretation of the world and belief system, also an endeavor to seek the truth of human nature. Ideologies emerge throughout the periods of great changes: the Enlightenment, the English “Glorious” Revolution, the American Revolution, etc. They have become the motivations, the standards, and the roots to modern political systems. Their roots are the philosophies developed by famous philosophers throughout the time. However, as each ideology is developed, its own contradiction also grows, takes place in the realm of actions. This, in turn, shows contradiction as human nature.
Erich Fromm was an influential German psychoanalyst and philosopher in the 20th Century. One of his most important works is the text, “To Have or to Be?” This book highlights Fromm’s opinion of the difference of “having” and “being” and why they are both important aspects to one’s life. The two different concepts have been widely debated between philosophers and analysts throughout the years. The term “having” seems to be the easier mode to define, while “being” becomes more complicated to outline.
How well does each word apply to you? 5 (very well), 4, 3, 2, 1 (not at all).
Most of the people around the world exercise religion. In fact, it plays a significant role in shaping and influencing people's everyday life. It is not surprising why it receives such a major focus in a way that religion has manifested itself in various forms across the history of mankind. Flood (2012) says that religion exists within particular social systems, kinship structures, styles of speaking and acting, cultural memories and kinds of art. For this reason, understanding religion has then becoming crucial and fundamental for the basic understanding for the particular community. Still, it is notoriously a difficult term to define. The meaning of religion is rarely questioned and is often overlooked owing to its nature of ambiguity. As
During the European industrialization, theorist Émile Durkheim was the first to analyze religion in terms of societal impact. Durkheim defined religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things” (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). In terms of society, Durkheim overall believed that religion is about community: It binds people together (social cohesion), promotes behavior consistency (social control), and offers strength for people during life’s tribulations (meaning and purpose) (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). He held that the source of religion is the collective mind-set of society and that this cohesive bond of social order resulted from common values in a society (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). Additionally, he contended that these values need to be maintained to sustain social stability (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337,
Because of the colossal impact of religion in the countries surveyed the only accurate way to peek at how these people understanding themselves and their place in the world is to first have an understanding of the major religion or religions that are at work within a given society. But that statement demands the question, how is it that through religion we define ourselves? My research relies heavily on the inte...