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The philosophical foundations of interpersonal psychoanalysis: Albert Dunham Jr. and racial politics
(2022)
The Pathology of Normalcy and Consensual Validation: Thinking Beyond Neoliberalism with Erich Fromm
(2022)
Think of the ease in which one can acquire food and clothing today. Consider the ubiquitous availability of machines that save us hours of boring labour. For the average person in the global core, it is obvious: the material standard of living has increased exponentially since the industrial-capitalist revolution. Although we may celebrate these achievements it is also clear that such rampant capitalist development has created many horrific ‘negative externalities’.
Tibor Scitovsky’s >The Joyless Economy< (1976) is now regarded as a landmark publication in the combined fields of economics and psychology, with standard accounts of Scitovsky’s ideas emphasizing the influence of 1960s motivational psychology literature. While this encounter is all-important, Scitovsky’s ideas must at the same time be read in the context of the evolution of his critique of twentieth-century mass society. The present paper presents that critique and demonstrates its fundamental importance for Scitovsky’s diagnosis of an economy he termed >joyless<. Drawing upon his >Memoirs<, we show how Scitovsky’s ideas were initially shaped by the culture/aesthetics of his early years in Budapest, followed by his experiences of rising totalitarianism in interwar Europe, and further affected by his move to the consumption society of postwar America. The way he engaged with the writings of influential contemporary cultural commentators, including André Gide, Erich Fromm, Bertrand de Jouvenel, Lewis Mumford, and Bernard Rudofsky, was incisive. Close scrutiny also reveals resonances between Scitovsky’s cultural concerns and those of some of the Bloomsbury Group.
Nowadays, the society is in the rapid development stage of scientific and technological innovation. However, to some extent, the traditional extensive concept of development has led to increasingly tense conflicts, resulting in increasingly serious conflicts between man and nature, man and man, man and society, and man and himself, seriously affecting the sound development of human society. In China, people-oriented is the starting point and the driving force of social development. >People-centered< is an important principle for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In this regard, the importance of human beings is self-evident. In the field of foreign humanistic thought, Fromm is one of the most representative scholars. This thesis examines Fromm’s anthropological thought from three aspects: the formation, logical composition, and evaluation of his anthropological thought. The formation of Fromm’s humanistic thought is inseparable from three aspects: personal experience, social background, and its theoretical origin. In the logical composition of Fromm’s humanistic thought, human nature is the core element of Fromm’s humanistic thought. He carried out research and analysis on human nature from four aspects. First, the dualistic definition of human nature. Specifically discussed from the following angles: one was based on the original living conditions, insurmountable survival ambiguities and non-inevitable history to explain the contradiction of human nature; the other was to analyze the relationship between human nature and human nature and the relationship between human nature and survival needs to interpret human consciousness. Secondly, Fromm regarded the concept of social character as the intermediary link between individuals and society. Thirdly, Fromm analyzed the concept of alienation from the perspective of psychology and sociology, and exposed the alienation of people in modern Western society in the unconscious level and the reality level through criticizing the alienation of capitalism. Finally, Fromm put forward a set of strategies for solving alienation problems based on psychological revolution and social revolution, which provides a relatively complete solution strategy for the problem of social change. Specifically, it takes >moral renewal< as a prerequisite, and at the same time takes into account the reform work in the political, economic and cultural fields, so as to create a better environment for the all-round development of individuals. Fromm’s anthropological thought has the characteristics of value presupposition and utopia. From the standpoint of Marxism, although Fromm’s humanistic thought has certain limitations, the humanistic criticism of his humanistic thought on society has promoted the happiness and development of human beings, which has certain practical significance. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
This paper explores Erich Fromm’s contribution to Deweyan democratic education by referring to his psychoanalytic interpretation of John Dewey’s pragmatic theory. First, it employs the work by Gert Biesta to secure a space between critical pedagogy and Deweyan democratic education, from which Fromm’s theory can be discussed. Furthermore, it argues that Biesta’s perspective offers a valuable theoretical ground to extend the emancipatory potential of Deweyan democratic education, while avoiding some pitfalls of critical pedagogy. Subsequently, the paper contrasts Marcuse’s and Fromm’s views on Dewey to show how Fromm’s understanding of Dewey was more effective than that of Marcuse for developing the potential of Dewey’s philosophy. Next, the paper clarifies key similarities and differences between Fromm’s psychoanalysis and Dewey’s pragmatism, as it is applicable specifically to emancipatory education. Finally, the paper argues that despite the differences between these two thinkers, Fromm’s theory further radicalizes Deweyan democratic education by adding new elements to the list of preconditions on the role of the emancipatory teacher.
Psychoanalysis in the shadow of fascism and genocide: Erich Fromm and the interpersonal tradition
(2022)
Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCPA) is pervasive in the United States. Beyond its effect on consumer behavior, DTCPA changes the relationship between individuals and physicians. The author provides a brief history of pharmaceutical advertising in the United States. The author then analyzes the current commonly used marketing techniques of pharmaceutical companies and argues that pharmaceutical companies are >irrational authorities< in Erich Fromm’s sense of the term since they seek to exploit persons. Using concepts from various philosophers from the Continental tradition, with a particular emphasis on the work of Michel Foucault, the author analyzes the power relations involved in DTCPA and ultimately argues that DTCPA subtly undermines the contemporary paradigm of patient autonomy while simultaneously depending upon it by treating health consumers as >dividuals<, that is, as porous entities to be manipulated.