Research On Erich Fromm's Theory Of Human Nature

In this thesis, I focus my research on an outstanding American psychoanalyst, philosopher and sociologist, Erich Fromm's theory of human nature. The concept of man is the motif of Fromm's thought. His concern is mainly on exploring laws governing both individual life and society, which in other words are laws that control human beings existing in society. Consequentially, Fromm reaches his understanding on the valuable tropism of human beings, which is the theoretical basis for Fromm to examine and analyze social reality and to express his ideal for human character and society. In Fromm's idea, human nature is a concept concerning directly on the subsistent circumstance of human beings and on human character as well. In this sense, human nature presents to us its real look only when we research it in the interrelation of man's subsistent circumstance and the real society. This is also the key point in understanding Fromm's theory of human nature. For this reason, I make a research in the thesis on the core of Fromm's theory of human nature and differentiate the specific concept of human nature from the general one. In my viewpoint, the specific concept of human nature means the theory of human nature in the macrocosmic perspective, which is called in the thesis the fundamental theory of human nature, while the general concept of human nature entails three elements, which are the specific concept of human nature, the structure of human character as the real state of human nature and social theory. Moreover, the latter two elements have vital effect on human nature. After reworking on Fromm's theory of human nature, I get a better background to understand and expatiate on the essence of Fromm's theory of human nature, which is actually that human beings can work out their own salvation and unite together into one body. The aforementioned is the theoretical logic of my thesis, which is mainly about research on the three parts of Fromm's theory of human nature. Furthermore, my aim in the thesis is to show firstly the humanist spirit that Fromm expresses with his concern on the existence and potentiality of human beings; secondly, the transcendence that Fromm achieves in his theory comparing to the metaphysics which causes the vainness of human life and to the theoretical degree that the relativist theory of human nature reaches; and thirdly the special theoretical quest and viewpoint that Fromm proposes on contemporary social critique and values.There are five chapters in the thesis. In the first chapter, I make a research on the background of Fromm's theory of human nature. In order to get something valuable and meaningful, I pay much attention to the relation of Fromm's theory and its background. Firstly, I analyze Fromm's family and the times he lives in, which aims on the one hand to explicate that a person could be influenced in a great degree by his family and his living times, on the other hand to emphasize that Fromm himself is definitely impelled by the abnormal family and times he lives in to think deeply about the problem of human nature and its value. Secondly, I analyze the process that Fromm's theory of human nature achieves, which indicates that it is in the examination on the antinomy of German arbitrary autarchy and American liberalist democracy that Fromm gets his conclusion on human nature. In Fromm's eye, both of the aforementioned nations'values are neither real nor normal. Just for this reason, Fromm decides to search for a kind of new values. Thirdly, I analyze the theoretical origin of Fromm's theory of human nature. Actually, Fromm is indebted his theory much to ideas of Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Johann Bachoven and Buddhism, especially the sect of Zen.From Chapter Two to Chapter Four, I focus my research on the content of Fromm's theory of human nature. In the second chapter, I introduce the fundamental theory of Fromm's concept of human nature in his own theoretical environment, presenting his understanding on human nature in the macrocosmic perspective which is being a multilayer unity of conflicts. The fundamental theory of Fromm's concept of human nature entails the understanding of human nature as man's intrinsic contradiction, man's desire for solving and relieving from the contradiction, the different ways of meeting man's needs, and the potentiality of human good and evil. I also believe that the main idea of the fundamental theory of human nature is that the good potentiality of human nature is the basis for man and his rebuilding of social value. Only in this sense, can we achieve the transcendence to the other two kinds of theory of human nature which are aforementioned. I have to repeat that Chapter Two is both about the basis of Fromm's theory of human nature and definitely the heart of this thesis.In the third chapter, I explore the theory of human character which is a part of Fromm's theory of human nature from the perspective of relation of human beings and the world. I also make a research on the function of the theory of human character and its structure, which is special for exploring the real state of human nature. Therefore, Chapter Three is a further exhibition of the fundamental theory of Fromm's concept of human nature. Since I pay much attention to the research of human nature in the macrocosmic perspective in the former chapter, I turn to research human nature and its transition in the dynamic development of social history in this chapter. In the structure of human character, we find out the historicity, sociality and changeability of human nature. The foundation of human character is the relationship of human beings and the external word. In Fromm's theory, the relation of human beings and the external world is embodied in the relation of character structure and social structure, in detail, it is about the adaption and counterwork of character structure to social structure and about the impact that social structure has on character structure. In this chapter, I classify different character preference and relations of character structure to social structure both in theory and in reality, among which two types of character preference (viz. productive character and unproductive character) and five types of social character are stressed. Fromm analyzes especially the function of unproductive character like a bomb and productive character like a gum, which indicates his critique on contemporary society and pursuit of a healthy human character.In the fourth chapter, I put my eyeshot on the phenomena of alienation in both production and consumption of capitalist society in the twentieth century, which in the final sense caused the alienation of human nature. Especially, I believe that the abnormal social state and relation of man with the world violates man's development and self-realization. After that, I analyze Fromm's project for curing the abnormal society, that is, humanist socialism. Further, I repeat Fromm's proposal for achieving a healthy society which is to reconstruct a society integrally. I also give prominence to Fromm's pursuit of ideal society and human character in the end of this chapter.In the fifth chapter, I do a further research on Fromm's extending and enriching on Marx's theory on human nature.In this thesis, some systematic research on Fromm's theory of human nature is presented, which I believe is somewhat advanced in field of Chinese academy, for I use an extraordinary way to reassure the connotation and extension of Fromm's theory of human nature, to present and evaluate Fromm's viewpoint. I hope my thesis will make some contribution to impel the discussion on the contemporary significance of Marxist philosophy, to solve the key problems in the research of human nature in Chinese academy, to push the recognition of scientific concept of development which is based on the development of human beings and to supply people in contemporary society with some inspiration on recognize and choose a correct mode of subsistence.