Summary of Erich Fromm – Gespräch zu „Haben oder Sein“

00:00:00 - 00:40:00

In this video, Erich Fromm discusses the idea of "having or being," and how people often try to deceive themselves into thinking they are happy when, in reality, they are unhappy. Fromm argues that one must wear a mask of happiness in order to maintain social credibility, or else lose the respect of others on the market.

• 00:00:00 Erich Fromm discusses the idea of "having or being," and how people often try to deceive themselves into thinking they are happy when, in reality, they are unhappy. Fromm argues that one must wear a mask of happiness in order to maintain social credibility, or else lose the respect of others on the market. Fromm was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1900 and studied psychology, philosophy, and sociology at Heidelberg, Germany; Munich, Germany; and Frankfurt, Germany. He left Germany in 1933 due to the increasing pressure of the Nazi regime and moved to the United States. There, he taught at several universities, wrote extensively, and is now considered one of the founders of third-way psychology.
• 00:05:00 Erich Fromm discusses his book "Haben oder Sein" and how it led to him becoming a psychoanalyst. He talks about how, as a young man, he had strong religious beliefs and was very optimistic about the future of humanity. However, as he got older and started to have doubts about his theories, he began to see patients in a more objective way, and began to see that many of them had similar complexes. He eventually realized that he was not really treating patients, but instead just observing their complexes.
• 00:10:00 <could not summarize>
• 00:15:00 Erich Fromm discusses the relationship between religion and society in his book, "Haben oder Sein." He argues that, even though religion is no longer necessary in today's society, people still feel fulfilled and satisfied after attending church. Marx was wrong to think that the chapter on society in his book, "Die Gesellschaft und ihre Kräfte," was already at its end. Reality is that, 100 years ago, the chapter on society was still in its early developmental stages. Today, with the global economic crisis forcing societies to turn to religious practices in order to satisfy people's needs, Fromm believes that Marx's message may have a greater impact than ever before.
• 00:20:00 Erich Fromm discusses the idea that humans do not actively create or change reality, but rather find it much more satisfying to accept the reality that they are in, based on their existing religious beliefs. Europe has not been Christianized as of yet, as many of the beliefs in Christianity are contrary to the way the majority of people in Europe live. For Fromm, this is an "ungeheuer" statement, but it is actually quite simple when one takes into account the fact that most people are content to live with their illusions, as long as they can keep up the facade of being happy and successful. The majority of people in Europe are not actually happy, but they are told to be by those in positions of authority. Fromm argues that this is actually a form of mental illness, as it prevents people from facing the true reality of their lives.
• 00:25:00 Erich Fromm discusses the concept of "happiness" and its opposite, " unhappiness ." He argues that the majority of people in today's society are "so angepasst ," or so detached from their true selves, that they no longer experience genuine conflict or love. He refers to this condition as "a chronic mild schizophrenia ," and believes that the root cause of this state of affairs is the capitalist system, which rewards individuals for accumulating material possessions rather than for actual human fulfillment.
• 00:30:00 Erich Fromm discusses the idea of "verachtung" and its relation to the white man. He argues that the non-machined people of the world are not looked at because they are black, but because they are of different races of ministers themselves. He also discusses the issue of Israel and the Western culture's relationship to the military. Finally, he discusses the relationship between economic factors and the likelihood of a global catastrophe. He argues that, today, things are much worse than they seem, and that we are on the brink of a world-wide ecological disaster. He believes that, to avert this, we need to come to grips with the problems we are facing and change our ways. However, he is pessimistic about the likelihood of this happening, and is dismissed by the interviewer as a "hopeless old thinker."
• 00:35:00 Erich Fromm discusses the idea of "haben or being," saying that until two percent of the population give up, society must try to prevent a catastrophe. He argues that as long as one believes in the possibility of a miracle, one should continue to attempt to live responsibly. He cites the example of Freud, who believed that dreams are usually wish fulfilments. The full video can be found on YouTube.
• 00:40:00 Erich Fromm discusses the idea of "having or being." He discusses the virtues, which are really just different ways of looking at ourselves, and the categories of "good" and "bad." He says that we can't find them on ourselves, and that they see that they are the same way in their individual lives. Fromm believes that the German military situation is one in which Germany could be saved if they manage to stop the predicted or assumed Russian advance in 48 hours. However, he believes that the majority of the German people would have opposed such a brutal policy if they had known about it, and that this is one of the reasons Hitler was able to carry out such atrocities. Fromm thinks that the German people would have revolted if they had known the true extent of the Nazi's crimes.