Escape From Freedom
36 pages • 1-hour read
Erich FrommEscape From Freedom
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Themes
Society and Human Nature
Throughout Fromm’s societal analysis in Escape from Freedom, he frequently considers the relation between human nature and society. Though Fromm draws upon theories from the fields of psychology and sociology, his approach to the question of society’s impact on human nature differs from both fields’ understandings. Psychology has traditionally understood there to be an inherent human nature that exists outside of any societal or historical context. In Freud’s theories, human nature is governed by a set of unconscious drives that are seen “as eternal forces rooted in the biological constitution of man” (25). Sociology stands in contrast to Freud’s theory, usually believing humankind to be a product of his or her social circumstances.
Fromm sees Escape from Freedom as a work of social psychology, and his understanding of human nature blends the ideas of both sociology and psychology. Social psychology aims to show both “how passions, desires, anxieties change and develop as a result of the social process, but also how man’s energies thus shaped into specific forms in their turn become productive forces, molding the social process” (28).
Though Fromm believes mankind’s personality and nature is largely dictated by societal forces, he does not think that one can view humanity as completely socially constructed. Instead, Fromm treats society and man as being in a reciprocal relation with each other, each alternately affecting the other.
Fromm will employ this understanding of society in numerous places throughout Escape from Freedom. In Chapter 3, Fromm explores how rising capitalism’s breakdown of the feudal order leaves humankind feeling isolated and insignificant. People deal with their growing sense of doubt by joining the new Christian sect of Calvinism, which preaches that its followers must tirelessly work so as to prove their worthiness of God’s salvation. This new obsession with work and activity in turn begins to shape society, driving the further growth of capitalism.
Freedom From vs. Freedom To
An important idea which Fromm explores throughout Escape from Freedom is the distinction between “freedom from” and “freedom to.” In the first chapter of Escape from Freedom, Fromm notes that many assume today’s modern democracies to be a society in which humankind is finally free. Fromm argues that one can only say that modern man is free if one thinks of freedom solely in terms of freedom from external forces. Fromm believes that modern man remains chained by internal binds, which keeps him from “realiz[ing] his self fully and uncompromisingly” (296).
Most of Escape from Freedom is focused on exploring the history of the first type of freedom, “freedom from.” In Fromm’s view, European history since the Middle Ages has seen society steadily “gain freedom from the political, economic, and spiritual shackles that have bound men” (17). Fromm traces the origin of this growing freedoms to the Reformation, when the rise of capitalism leads to a breakdown of Medieval society. People begin to conceive of themselves as individuals and subsequently feel free to determine their own lives and occupations. As industrial capitalism continues to grow over the ensuing centuries, humankind is ostensibly free from all forms of authority—whether the church or kings—that seek to dictate how one should live.
However, Fromm argues that there has been a “lag between ‘freedom from’ and ‘freedom to’” (53). While humankind might be free from the external forms of power, Fromm argues that “authority has made itself invisible” by transforming itself into forms that we then internalize: “common sense, science, psychic health, normality, public opinion” (189-190). Though humanity is ostensibly free, Fromm believes that we fail to exercise this freedom by behaving as conformists rather than as independent individuals. Fromm argues that society must instead focus on fostering the “freedom to” realize one’s authentic personality. In Fromm’s view, such a society would focus on creating outlets for individuals to participate spontaneously in love and work, living both independently and in union with other human beings.
The Psychological Effects of Capitalism
Fromm takes a largely negative view of capitalism in Escape from Freedom, arguing that capitalist societies have yet to allow for the individual’s fullest realization of the self. In Fromm’s analysis, capitalism’s emphasis on earning money has had harmful effects on humankind’s psychology, leaving individuals feeling isolated and anxious. While Fromm acknowledges that capitalist societies are arguably the freest in human history, it has done so at the expense of providing humanity with a sense of security or outlets for authentically realizing one’s inner personality. In modern societies, capitalism “became [man’s] master” (130). Individuals learn to think of themselves as a “cog in the vast economic machine” (130), whose sole purpose is to further the profits of the corporations they work for. Fromm traces how the logic of capitalism permeates through the entirety of society, altering everything from the city to the political system. Throughout modern society, individuals are made acutely aware of their individual insignificance. This emphasis on insignificance is reflected in the entire “style” of the 20th century: “Vastness of cities in which the individual is lost, buildings that are as high as mountains, constant acoustic bombardment by the radio, big headlines changing three times a day”(153). Fromm believes that this emphasis on one’s insignificance primes humanity to relinquish their freedoms and submit to higher forms of authority—eventually leading to the rise of Fascism.
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