| Erich Fromm (1900—1980) was a famous western psychologist, philosopher,sociologist and ethicist in the20th century. He is an important representative figure ofpsychoanalysis theory. In the course of combining the thoughts of Sigmund Freud and KarlMarx, he is considered one of the founding fathers of Freudisal Marxism, so he is a discipleof Marxism, also the main representative of western Marxist Frankfurt’s faction. Hisimportant works include The Fear of Freedom (1941), a book that treated all aspects ofphilosophy, psychology, sociology, ethics, religion and culture. In that book he stated hisoriginal view on freedom and the analyzed the internal reasons why modern people escapefrom freedom in accordance with humanitarianism. He explored the psychological basis andsocial factors by psychoanalysis, and then further explained the slavery and oppression of thecapitalist system. He solved the question how to pursuit freedom, how to perfect socialsystem and enhance democratic politics construction, and how to achieve real freedom byimproving society construction and promoting people’s development.This thesis is composed of three parts:The first part is an introduction of Fromm’s life. It lays special stress on analyzing thetheoretical sources and historical background of The Fear of Freedom, and objectivelyexpounds Fromm’s personal experiences which play an important role in forming his thought.In the days of ideology difference and value diversification, Western Marxism’s freedomtheory digs out some new problems for us on how to treat freedom issue in the course of theSocialist Primary Stage.The second part mainly analyzes Fromm’s freedom theory—pursuit of freedom andescape from freedom in book of the fear of freedom. From the angle of spirit, based onhumanity, Fromm interprets men’s survival of dual dimension and character structure,dissects the core content of men who pursuit or fear of freedom.In the third part evaluates Fromm’s freedom theory, including positive significance anddefects. Marxist freedom theory is the fundamental guiding principle for our country,especially in the period of socialist construction. The essence and core content of freedomthought should be correctly fully aware of and be firmly set up. In real life, putting the theoryinto practice is extremely urgent, and it is also the most arduous point. |
