Profound insights into Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud from the “prolific and eclectic” social theorist and bestselling author of Escape from Freedom (The Washington Post). According to renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, three people shaped the essential character of the twentieth century: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. While the first two figures had a great physical and political impact on the world, Fromm believes that Freud had an even deeper impact, because he changed how we think about ourselves. Beyond the Chains of Illusion is one of Fromm’s most autobiographical works, as Fromm not only comments on the ideas of Freud and Marx, but also crystallizes his own theories on social character and unconscious values. The book brilliantly summarizes Fromm’s ideas on how culture and society shape our behavior. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.

First published in 1962, this is a book about Marx and Freud - the two intellectual giants of the 20th century. It introduces many of readers to unknown aspects of Marx and Freud, as it also serves as an introduction to the life and mind of Erich Fromm as well.

DIVDIVRenowned social psychologist Erich Fromm’s classic study of Freud’s most important—and controversial—ideas/divDIV Bestselling philosopher and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm contends that the principle behind Freud’s work—the wellspring from which psychoanalysis flows—boils down to one well-known belief: “And the truth shall set you free.” The healing power of truth is what Freud used to cure depression and anxiety, cutting through repression and rationalizations, and it provided the foundation for modern psychology./divDIV /divDIVFreud’s work, however, was not without its flaws. Though he pioneered many of the practices still in use today, Freud’s perspective was imperfect. In Greatness and Limitation of Freud’s Thought, Fromm deepens the understanding of Freud by highlighting not just his remarkable insights, but also his flaws, on topics ranging from dreams to sexuality. /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate./div/div

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year Erich Fromm (1900-1980) is known to most readers as the author of the international bestseller The Art of Loving (1956). What may be less widely known is that Fromm was a social psychoanalyst whose psychoanalytic theories, developed around a humanistic concept of man and society, have had a profound impact on many fields and disciplines: on social life and societal organization, on politics, on religion, on psychotherapy and, last but not least, on the practice of mindfulness. Rainer Funk was Erich Fromm's last assistant. He wrote his dissertation about Fromm, was designated by Fromm's last will to be his sole literary executor, and is the editor of Fromm's writings. From his very intimate knowledge of Fromm's life and ideas, and his access to an archive that includes 6,000 letters, Funk introduces Fromm's central concepts and examines them in relation to Fromm's lived experiences and to his idea that life itself is an art. The question of "the art of living" runs through all of the chapters, from the Introduction, in which Funk describes meeting Fromm for the first time in 1972, to the last chapter, in which Funk reflects on the impact of Fromm's social-psychoanalytic writings and his efforts to live well.

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As Fromm points out, ours is “a life between having and being”—between mere having and healthy being, between destructiveness and creativity, between narcissism and productive self-understanding, between passivity and the joy of positive activity. The alternatives of having and being are basic orientations of our character and determine our behavior. The mostly unpublished and unknown texts featured in The Essential Fromm encapsulate Fromm’s views on the fulfilling life. To put down roots yet remain free is what the late Erich Fromm called the art of being. It is the secret of happiness.

An insightful look at alienation in the modern world from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Art of Loving and Escape from Freedom. Social psychologist Erich Fromm observed the spread of alienation in the 1960s, arguing that humans who were once dynamic, creative beings were reduced to fixating on TV screens, emotionally paralyzed by anxieties over threats like nuclear war. Though we may stare at different devices and worry about other dangers today, his insights are as useful as ever, and allow us to gain perspective on the human condition. A collection of his writings on “New Humanism” and the need to reclaim our happiness and peace of mind, this is a thoughtful, fascinating overview of the past that shaped us, and the philosophies and practices that can ensure a better future, both for ourselves and for the world at large. Included are reflections on thinkers from Karl Marx to medieval Catholic mystic Meister Eckhart, as “Fromm’s large, keen mind and attractive, likable voice [strive] for heart as he asks himself the hardest questions of his day” (Kirkus Reviews). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.