Erich Fromm
Erich Fromm's thesis in this remarkable book is that two
modes of existence are
struggling for the spirit of humankind:
THE HAVING MODE
which concentrates on material possession, acquisitiveness, power, and aggression and is the basis of such universal evils as greed, envy, and violence, and:
THE BEING MODE
which is based on love, in the pleasure of sharing, and in meaningful and productive rather than wasteful activity.
Dr. Fromm sees the having mode bringing the world to the brink of psychological and ecological disaster, and he outlines a brilliant program for socioeconomic change that could really turn the world away from its catastrophic course.
Excerpted from the book To Have or to Be?, by Erich
Fromm, published by Harper and
Row.
Copyright © 1976 by Erich Fromm.
Reprinted with permission, courtesy
Harper and Row
Publishers, Inc.
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