StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
These he deemed as “having” and “being”. The two states are a contrast of each other. In the mode of “having”, Fromm critically analyses how man is obsessed with the materialistic things of the world. In this…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.1% of users find it useful
To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm"

College: “Having” and “Being” Erich Fromm has brought out two distinct s of man. These he deemed as “having” and“being”. The two states are a contrast of each other. In the mode of “having”, Fromm critically analyses how man is obsessed with the materialistic things of the world. In this mode, the human beings are in a constant state of wanting more possessions and money. The society has become very selfish; every individual is for himself. Every effort made is geared towards having some material thing in return.

The people want to “have” good education so as to “have” good jobs and salary. The problem with the “having” mode is that the greed for money and possession can never be satisfied no matter how much has acquired. People will always use dubious means to get more; including the exploitation of fellow human beings. “The ordinary man with extraordinary power is the chief danger for mankind” Fromm, (67). There is always a cut-throat competition among members of society in getting more possession.

And when one has acquired a certain amount of riches, he is struck by paranoia. He or she is in a constant state of fear that the property may be stolen or that death may come so soon. Unlike the “having” mode, the “being” mode is quite a stationary state in life. Here, man does not really seem to toil for money and other materialistic things of the world. Man is satisfied with the intangible aspects of life such as peace and harmony. He adores love as the only source of joy: “Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problems of human” (Fromm, 70).

He can get pleasure without using money. In fact, everything is a source of his happiness, depending on the perception. The individuals in this state are selfless and can freely share whatever little they have. To them, all the worldly things are meaningless and perishable. Therefore, they see no great deal in investing in material things. The problem with the “being” mode is that an individual may be isolated from the modern society whose most members are in the “having” mode. Since the pleasure of the people in this mode is free, they may sometimes misuse this freedom.

The problem with “industrial religion” is that it is economic oriented and enslaves its followers by work. According the ancient religion was viewed as matriarchal where; the church was full of unconditional love and mercy. However, the modern churches are viewed as patriarchal; justice is the order of the day. Fromm states, “The deepest desire of the human beings looks like a constellation in which these two poles are connected in a synthesis” (Fromm 87). Before, the Roman Catholic religion was matriarchal.

During the protestant revolution, an industrial religion emerged that was entirely patriarchal. “Behind the Christian façade, arose a secret religion, ‘industrial religion’ that is rooted in the character structure but not recognised as religion” (Fromm 88). This religion had problems such as fear and submission to very powerful authorities as well as guilt of disobedience. Fromm emphasised that “It is absolutely incompatible with the genuine Christianity. It reduces its subjects to servants of the economy and enslaves to machinery that their own hands made” (90).

Work CitedFromm, Erich. To Have or To Be. London. Continuum International Publishing Group. 2005. Print

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1695127-to-have-or-to-be-by-erich-fromm
(To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1695127-to-have-or-to-be-by-erich-fromm.
“To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1695127-to-have-or-to-be-by-erich-fromm.
  • Cited: 5 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm

Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer

These three aspects have been a characteristic of society since the creation of the first social group.... These assertions do not signal the absence strategies and subsequent policies that have been structured to aid in the reduction in the level of inequality.... As such, there is a need to offer fashion new strategies and polices that have a higher probability of realizing this goal of equality reduction....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Rome and Epic Cinema

The fact that only the story of the upper classes of these societies is displayed shows the bias that Hollywood filmmakers have against the common people of these civilizations… An example of this is that of the city of Rome where in film, it is often quite rare to find the filmmaker showing the poorer parts of the city.... In addition, when one considers the fact that the Roman Empire was based not only in the cities but also in the rural areas, since without the latter the empire would not have lasted for long....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Erich Fromms Human Needs Theory

The same question made Erich fromm to study psychology and find out what drives human Erich fromm, who was born in Germany in the year 1900, was exposed to the horrors of the first world war (Boeree, n.... The evil nature of the leaders, the mute submission of the civilians to the dictatorship and the way the society functioned developed Erich fromm's interest in psychology and social structure....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Building an Irish Pub in Rome

In carrying out this task, there are certain features that must be borne in mind, because they will be significant in the Roman context.... One of these is the need to procure licenses from the Italian Government to… Secondly, it also appears likely that it would be necessary to adhere to legislative measures on health and safety as well as other measures; therefore one of the steps identified in the WBS Another essential step in the process would be identifying potential suppliers of refurbishing materials as well as bar and kitchen supplies, so that the bar can be well stocked up before it opens....
9 Pages (2250 words) Case Study

The Cogs in the Great Machine in Light of Relevant Ideas from Marx

Such sentiments have been shared by Carl Marx in his article about the Bourgeois and the Proletarian.... The main idea focused upon in the article "The Cogs in the Great Machine" is poor working conditions and pay for workers in the meatpacking industries.... This kind of oppression is being exercised by employers who not only focus on the profitability of their organizations but also… At the beginning of this excerpt, the reader is clearly introduced to poor conditions in which employees in such industries like Greeley work in....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Rich Interface Technologies: Web API

The demand and need for web API has been… er facilitated by desire for website owners to maintain their data and codes as well as the need to have their services rendered across multiple programming languages.... Some of the key functions of web APIs include the sending, modification and receiving of events, Web APIs have Some of the factors that have fueled the growth of web APIs have also been contributed by the growth of mobile (Gosnell, 2005) devices and the need to distribute services across multiple platforms....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

EThan Frome by Edith Wharton

As an author, Wharton is perceived to have spent much of her time in leisure.... Published in the year 1911, the novel is set against the background of the conjured town of Starkfield in Massachussetts.... The literary device of extended flashback and the third-person… The novel has subtle interplay of symbols and metaphors which makes it psychologically rich. The plot of the novel revolves round the encounter of the anonymous visitor at Ethan's place who takes refuge Their encounter ends with certain events that turn ironic....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm

hellip; erich fromm, in his remarkable book of social intellectualism, titled 'Escape from Freedom', defines the concept of freedom from a very lucid angle.... This paper sheds light on this concept of freedom as presented by fromm in his book.... To understand fromm's idea of freedom, fromm himself suggests that one must first understand what freedom is, why people want to escape from freedom, and how do they escape it.... fromm has summoned up the paradox, in which the concept of freedom demands quite some attention on the part of the reader....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us