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[Chinese abstract not available] With the rapid development of the Internet and the widespread use of mobile devices, short video applications have become widely available on people’s smartphones, playing an important role in their daily lives. Currently, short video technology is constantly changing and gradually improving its functions, which has greatly enriched people’s daily life, and browsing short videos has become an important way of leisure for people, and the number of short videos has grown geometrically with users, however, short video technology has also produced alienation in this process. This article, based on Marxist humanist thought, Marcuse’s theory of technological alienation, and Fromm’s humanization of technology, delves deeply into the related issues of short video technology alienation and its governance, providing important theoretical guidance and practical reference for the development of short videos.– The specific performance of short video technology alienation is mainly in the following four aspects: First, the thinking alienation caused by short video algorithm recommendation technology, which is mainly reflected in the gradual reduction of people’s logical thinking ability, the weakening of rational judgment ability and the increasing instrumental rationality; second, the aesthetic alienation caused by short video beauty technology, mainly manifested by the objectification of self-aesthetics, the convergence of individual aesthetics and the increasing vulgarization of the mass aesthetic; thirdly, the alienation of values caused by short video rewarding technology is mainly reflected in the formation of wrong career and consumption views by diversified values, the enhancement of utilitarian values and the prevalence of egoistic values; finally, the alienation of self-presentation caused by following technology is mainly reflected in the entertainment and homogenization of self-presentation and the confusion of real self and ideal self. The causes of the problem of short video technology alienation can be attributed to three main aspects. Firstly, on the technological level, the flawed design of short video technology, including structural elements, and the uncertainty of the consequences of its application, have led to the occurrence of short video technology alienation. Secondly, on the subject level, the blind pursuit of profit by the design subject, the value of flow prioritization by the production subject, and the lack of rationality by the application subject have all contributed to the problem. Thirdly, on the social level, the undesirable effect of short video pan-entertainment, the imperfect moral education of short video technology and the unsound social supervision all lead to the alienation of short video technology to a certain extent.– This article analyzes and summarizes the problem of short video technology alienation through the method of literature analysis and the combination of theory and practice. The following measures are proposed: first, technical governance of short video technology alienation by establishing the concept of human-centered design, improving the algorithm recommendation technology system and forming an information filtering ecological environment; second, for individual governance, it is necessary to strengthen the unity of designer’s rights and obligations, promote the unity of author’s subjectivity and initiative, and encourage application users to rationally evaluate technology; third, in terms of social governance, the leading role of values should be improved, the moral education of short video technology should be strengthened, and the social regulation system should be improved. These measures are expected to promote the progress of short video technology and create a healthy short video environment. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
As a master of American literature and a representative writer of academic school in the 20th century, Saul Bellow revealed the spiritual crisis encountered by intellectuals and reflected the spiritual emptiness of people in the social background of moral decline and materialistic desire. >More Die of Heartbreak< is a novel written by Bellow during his latter period of creation. The novel shows the complicated contemporary love, marriage, family condition and the alienated society that is trapped by money, consumerism, and sex. In this thesis, Erich Fromm’s humanism is used to deeply interpret the embodiments, causes, and salvation of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<.– The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction, which mainly introduces Saul Bellow, >More Die of Heartbreak<, research status at home and abroad, alienation and humanistic theory.– Chapter two interprets the embodiments of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<, including self-alienation, interpersonal alienation, and alienation between people and society.– Chapter three explores the causes of alienation. Firstly, self-alienation is mainly caused by receptive character, irrational need for relatedness, and alienated way to satisfy relatedness. Secondly, causes of interpersonal alienation mainly include morbidity and liberation of sex, nonproductive character orientation, the impact of pragmatism and the contradiction of different cultures. Thirdly, consumers’ morbid desire for sign value and the media with negative guidance also lead to alienation between human and society.– Chapter four explores how to overcome alienation. Firstly, it expounds that Benn and Kenneth overcome self-alienation through self-improvement. Secondly, individuals can overcome loneliness and rebuild harmonious interpersonal relationships under the salvation of love. Finally, the being mode of existence advocated by Fromm is helpful for individuals to overcome the influence of social alienation and reshape harmony between man and society.– The last chapter is the conclusion, which points out that although contemporary westerners are troubled by alienation, people can still resist alienation through self-improvement, love, and choosing the being mode of existence. It is significant to overcome alienation in a materialistic society from the perspective of humanism. While exploring the embodiments, causes, and solutions of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<, this thesis hopes to raise people’s concern about the elimination of alienation and provide enlightenment on how to overcome alienation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] Fromm analyzed the spiritual predicament of modern people after the two World Wars through the combination of Marxism and Freudian psychoanalysis, and pointed out that the spontaneous individualization had to be subject to social conditions, resulting in the gap between positive freedom and negative freedom. In order to escape the burden brought by such negative freedom, people would rather lose their freedom than gain security and survival. In modern society, there is a common psychology of escape from freedom, which presents different forms of expression, and eventually results in totalitarianism and unsound society. Fromm tried to eliminate the ills of modern society by finding a way to realize positive freedom. The escape from freedom emphasized by Fromm is a prominent manifestation of modernity. At present, in the background of modernization and globalization, through the critical thinking of Fromm’s thought of escape from freedom, it is still enlightening and useful for the development of Chinese modernization to pursue and surpass this kind of modernity. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 12/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] As a contemporary psychoanalyst and philosopher, Fromm devoted his life to researching how to heal the mentally ill in contemporary society and to uncovering the root causes of people’s sicknesses in capitalist society. He tried to explain, what is the nature of human beings, what are human needs and the causes of human pathological alienation, etc. Unlike the one-sided criticism of other thinkers on political and economic aspects, Fromm analyzed the causes of the sickness of Western capitalist society from the internal to the external environment, from the individual to the group, from the individual to the society, from the primitive society to the historical class change, from the aspects of man and others, man and nature, man and society, and man and himself, and built a blueprint of a sane society. He pointed out the need to make a sane society a reality through the simultaneous implementation of a political, economic, and psychological revolution.– This paper is a re-investigative analysis of Fromm’s idea of sane society, divided into four parts. The first part, to sort out the background and ideological origins of Fromm’s sane society theory. In the second part, we analyze the logical structure of Fromm’s sane society theory, analyze the nature of human beings, the dichotomy of human existence, human survival needs, and human social needs, and focus on the problem of mental alienation arising from the suppression of human survival needs, the social character as an intermediary between individuals and society, and the root cause of the alienation of social character, and make a presentation of the pathological personality and pathological society presented by the alienation. The presentation is based on this. On this basis, Fromm’s vision of economic change, political change, and cultural change and his strategies for practice are discussed. The last section analyzes the theoretical orientation of sane social thought and its practical implications for contemporary society. It is not difficult to find from Fromm’s sane social thought that his thought is very distinctly humanistic. By thinking about human nature and how to forge a healthy personality, combining Freud’s psychoanalytic doctrine with Marx’s theory of anthropology and the theory of labor alienation, he formed his unique theoretical system, the humanistic psychoanalysis. His concern for the mental health of all human beings and his pursuit of the >free development of all human beings< are in line with the core values of the comprehensive development of the state under the current conditions of socialist market economy, which are people-oriented and have great inspiration and practical guidance on how to solve social problems. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
The >Buddhist< culture itself, as a subculture, is usually characterized by the coexistence of rationality and sensibility and the coexistence of aggressiveness and anxiety. The choice of “Buddhist” life for college students is an escape to a certain extent. They leave their families and come to a relatively free university. A sense of loneliness and powerlessness is generated, which leads them to defend themselves to relieve pressure, thus the psychological phenomenon of >escape from freedom< appears. However, there is a certain pragmatism while escaping. This seemingly free and easy >Buddha system< Mentality actually has a negative impact on the subjective well-being of college students. In Fromm’s view, freedom has dual meanings. These college students who advertise as >Buddhist youth< are in the predicament of freedom. However, in reality, some college students choose to escape from negative freedom to overcome their inner loneliness. This paper analyzes this phenomenon based on Fromm’s >Escape from Freedom<, and attempts to propose a path to achieve positive freedom and help college students pursue positive freedom. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
In modern industrial society, alienation has become a general problem existing in politics, economy, culture and other fields. For this reason, based on humanism Fromm's uses Freudian psychoanalysis to expose the symptoms of alienation in modern society. And in the perspective of Marxism, he ran through the analysis of human psychological mechanism to seek a solution to eliminate the symptoms of alienation. However, in essence, Fromm exaggerated the role of psychological factors in eliminating alienation, so it has inevitable limitation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] Erich Fromm’s concern for human existence is an important part in the construction of his social critical theory. His philosophy of existence originated from his early growth experience, including the theory of social character, the thinking of human existence requirements, the examination of human’s lifestyles. And the suggestions on how persons can move towards a well existence after the categorization. Searching on Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence from a holistic perspective will help us clarify the value orientation and theoretical vision of Erich Fromm’s social criticism, and help us to build the panorama of Erich Fromm’s philosophy. Although Erich Fromm’s theoretical construction is not perfect, his belief in our ability to achieve a better life can inspire us to move forward.– Firstly, Erich Fromm’s early growth experience exposed him to psychoanalytic and Marxist theories, and focused his perspective on human survival. After joining the Frankfurt Institute, the research on the mental and psychological conditions of Weimar German manual workers and white collar workers, which he presided over, provided empirical support for his social criticism theory, and also inspired him to propose a theory of social character, thereby promoting the birth of Escape from Freedom. He connected the thoughts of Freud and Marx with humanism, and paid more attention to human existence. He firmly believed that people can continuously develop to a good life.– Secondly, psychoanalytic theory influenced Erich Fromm’s focus on human survival needs. He found that human existence needs are divided into two categories, one is the existence needs brought about by human natural nature, and the other is the existence needs brought about by human social nature. With the constraints of the existence needs of man’s natural nature, man has also evolved a developed mind in an attempt to surpass himself. The need of human social nature also stems from this transcendence. At the same time, the development of the human brain promotes the emergence of human rationality. Rationality is both sides now, which brings human beings the ability to self-reflect, making them not satisfied with the harmonious and stable state of nature at present, and constantly changing themselves; however, it has also caused mankind to remain in an unbalanced state, resulting in a contradiction in human existence, namely, the antinomy between life and death and its historical contradiction. Based on this contradiction, people have generated the need for social existence, which can be divided into five aspects: relevance, transcendence, root-seeking, sense of identity, and orientation and dedication to alleviate the pain caused by this contradiction. In addition to the existence needs brought about by human natural and social natures, the personality generated by human beings in society also has an impact on the existence needs. This is manifested in two aspects, namely, non-productive orientation and productive orientation. The former is the personality generated by alienated people when facing society, while the latter is the personality displayed by genuine people when facing society and realizing themselves. Non-productive orientation can be divided into four categories: acceptance orientation, exploitation orientation, hoarding orientation, and market orientation. The productive orientation, or creative orientation, is centered on >love<. Compared to non-productive orientation, productive orientation can meet the needs of positive communication with the world, demonstrate one’s individuality, and achieve one’s own development.– Furthermore, after paying attention to human survival needs, the alienation thought of Marxist theory prompted Erich Fromm to pay attention to human’s lifestyle. He divided the way people live in life into two categories: having and being. The alienated lifestyle with having is aimed at possession, and the experience of re possession is constantly trying to obtain something that can be endowed with value; fear, fear oneself not having more. Due to the endless possession, they find it difficult to overcome the spiritual dilemma that possession brings to themselves. The lifestyle of being that breaks away from alienation and focuses on the development of existence is the goal. The survival exper+J35622ience of existence is to obtain what can truly enrich and develop oneself. They do not focus on what they have obtained, but on what they have obtained from it. Through the actions of obtaining, they continuously develop to achieve their own realization. Therefore, those who focus on their own re existence can actively develop themselves and move towards true happiness. On his analysis, Erich Fromm proposed an idea of how to turn to a being lifestyle of life. As long as people themselves can know that they are suffering, recognize the root causes of suffering, find ways to eliminate suffering, and change their existence lifestyle, there is hope that they will emerge from the spiritual dilemma of having. The process of individuals turning to new people needs to be accompanied by social changes and the emergence of a new society, but it is also necessary to be prepared to practice the >art of being< Erich Fromm clarified four obstacles that affect the art of practicing existence, namely, >flashiness, gossip, (believing) gain without payments, and avoiding pain<. Five methods for cultivating the art of being are proposed, namely, >unswerving, sober, conscious, focused, and thoughtful<. Individuals are ready to become new people, and with the emergence of a new society, they can move from the alienated self to the true >I am who I am<.– From Erich Fromm’s analysis of human existence needs and lifestyles, we can see his deep and humanistic concern for human existence. However, his concerns are not comprehensive. Erich Fromm focused on the generality of human personality, while ignoring the uniqueness of human beings; focusing on the individual existence of human beings, while ignoring the interactive behavior with others. Erich Fromm’s division of human existence lifestyles, limited by his proposed functional possession and possible egoistic explanations of being, is not very successful. This paper also proposes an idea to solve these two aspects of problems, in order to improve his theory of human existence. There is a view that Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence is an interesting combination of psychoanalytic models and existential philosophy. Although the field of psychology has not developed a school of existentialism, Sartre’s >Existentialism is a Humanism< provides argument support for this view. It can be found that Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence can meet the >existential humanism<, and naturally it is also existential. From the perspective of existentialism, Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence recognizes that existence precedes essence, advocates the essence of time, upholds humanitarianism, recognizes human freedom and responsibility, focuses on human authenticity, and considers human morality; showing the light of existentialism. In short, Erich Fromm’s concern for human existence is profound and full of Humanism. And hopes and expectations for people also float on paper to inspire us to live better. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
[Chinese abstract not available] Paulo Freire is regarded as the initiator of the >third revolution< in the history of educational theory since Herbart and Dewey, and the first educational philosopher who applied critical theory and its related concepts to the field of education in modern times. He proposes a kind of dialogic education as opposed to >banking education<. This study takes >how can education realize humanization< as the core issue to explore the ethics of Freire’s dialogic education, reveal the critical value of his thought, and hope to provide a reference for educational ethics. Freire’s dialogic education confronts the reality of Brazilian education, that is, educational inequality caused by colonialism and cultural invasion.– In the first chapter of this paper, it is pointed out that Freire criticized the >dehumanization< oppression of the educated in >banking education<, and pointed out that >banking education< denied the subjective value of the educated under the premise of the dichotomy between man and the world, and destroyed the educated’s reflective and critical ability by deifying knowledge or instilling mechanical content, which eventually led to the alienation of the relationship between teachers and students. Out of the ethical concern and moral response to the oppressed, Freire took education as a field to fight against the dehumanization’s situation, and proposed a kind of >dialogic education< aimed at realizing the ontological mission of >humanization<. Freire’s dialogic education is based on complex philosophy, which is characterized by eclecticism. The second chapter of this paper explains the philosophical basis of dialogic education in a systematic way, and lays a theoretical foundation for the ethical connotation of the next chapter. Specifically, this paper discusses the philosophical basis of dialogic education from three dimensions: methodology, ontology and axiology. Firstly, this paper analyzes the structural contradiction of >oppressor-oppressed< in >banking education< with reference to the psychological and pathological mechanism of Hegel’s >master-slave dialectic< and Fromm’s >sadism-masochism<, and puts forward that its methodological basis lies in dialectics. Secondly, based on Marx’s >false consciousness<, >alienated labor< and Sartre’s >presupposition of absolute human freedom<, this paper analyzes the alienation of >oppressor-oppressed< and the fear of freedom in education, and puts forward that its existential basis lies in human freedom and the possibility of dehumanization. Thirdly, this paper analyzes the eclectic attitude of dialogic education with the reference of Christian humanism and Marxist emancipation of mind, and puts forward that its axiological basis is based on the realization of the soundness of human nature. Based on the relevant theories of philosophical foundations, the third chapter of this paper explains the ethical content of dialogic education from three aspects: ethical principles, educational process, and ethical purposes. Taking Freire’s ontological mission of humanization, autonomy and motivation of love as the ethical principles of dialogic education, it urges people to reconstruct their cognition of themselves and society from a critical perspective, and returns the right to voice to the marginalized people who are drowning in the >culture of silence<. Dialogic education is a process of awakening consciousness and conscience, which aims at achieving equality, solidarity and emancipation among subjects. At the same time, the ethical purpose of dialogic education is to maintain the openness of dialogue through critical reading and writing, and to develop a specific way of being and acting for human emancipation.– The fourth chapter focuses on the two challenges faced by dialogic education, namely, the conflict between guidance and equal dialogue in the process of dialogic education, and the implicit inequality in the process of conscience awakening. This paper argues that we should distinguish between directive, permissive, and manipulative behaviors of educators in the educational process, and find a balance between directive and democratic teaching to achieve an equal ethical relationship between educators and educated people. At the same time, our interpretation of Freire’s thought should be comprehensive and objective, instead of clinging to his early works. We should face up to the ethical purpose of Freire’s dialogic education, that is, to realize human liberation in the process of facing universal human ethics. All in all, Freire’s ethical position is consistent. He always takes the realization of >humanization< as his educational vision, pays attention to the life and communication of the oppressed bottom groups, and emphasizes the rights of vulnerable groups or minorities. He affirmed the ethical connotation of >education< and strived to promote >education as a truly good cause<. Therefore, dialogic education has always sought the liberation of all people as its ultimate goal, and its purpose finally points to a kind of >universal human ethics which is indispensable to human communication life<. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
[Chinese abstract not available] With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, consumption occupies an increasingly important position in People’s Daily life. The >productive society< of Marx’s era was gradually replaced by the >consumer society< whose main activity was consumption. When the West first entered the consumer society, the consumption problem was more prominent. In this regard, the Western Marxists gradually turned from abstract theoretical research to positive exploration of reality. Fromm, with his unique perspective, revealed the consumption problem from the perspectives of psychology, sociology, philosophy and so on. Fromm believes that modern society is an unsound >artificial world<, where everything created by human beings is high above him. Individuals are integrated into a cultural chain woven by science and technology, mass culture and bureaucratic state, forming a cultural object lacking in criticism and self-awareness, which also causes the alienation of human nature. This alienation of human nature is especially obvious in the field of consumption.– This paper mainly discusses the consumption alienation in the developed industrial society. First of all, it combs the conditions of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation. Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation came into being under the influence of the cultural crisis of Western society in the 20th century and the social critical theory of Frankfurt School. Secondly, it traces the influence of Marx’s labor alienation theory, Freud’s psychoanalysis theory and Lukács’ materialization theory on Fromm’s consumption alienation theory. Then, it introduces the connotation, origin, harm and solution of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation, and compares it with those of Marcuse, Baudrillard and Ben Agger. Finally, based on Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation to reflect on the development of today’s world. The limitation lies in the fact that Fromm’s humanistic tendency lacks materialist foundation, and the utopian revolutionary road of subbing consumption alienation proposed by Fromm is bound to be unworkable. However, it is undeniable that Fromm’s consumption alienation theory provides practical reference and reflection for China to avoid the phenomena caused by this theory in the new era. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
[Chinese abstract not available] Erich Fromm is a Western Marxist and a major representative of the >Freudian Marxism< school. His thoughts are very rich, among which the critical theory of character structure is of great significance and is an important component of Fromm’s ideological system. This theory is an original theory formed by Fromm on the basis of combining Marx’s thought and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, and on this basis, he deeply criticized Western capitalist society. The content of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure is mainly reflected in the trilogy of character structure theory, namely, >Escape from Freedom<, >Man for Himself<, and >The Sane Society<. Through these three books, we can see the clear thread of the construction and development of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure: from the analysis of the causes of specific social phenomena-the rise and popularity of fascism-to the theoretical framework, and finally highlight the future direction of this theory. >Escape from Freedom< is mainly a probe into the origin of the significant event of the emergence and popularity of fascism in the 1930s, revealing the universal state of modern people’s escape from freedom and the formation of psychological mechanisms for escape from freedom. Starting from the discussion of human nature issues, >Man for Himself< proposed a division and in-depth interpretation of human social personality, and initially completed the configuration of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the development and extension of the themes in >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<, highlighting the ideal future pointed to by the critical theory of character structure.– The introduction first introduces the theoretical value and practical significance of the research, then combs the research status of domestic and foreign scholars on Fromm’s critical theory of character structure, summarizes the main viewpoints of the academic community on its theory and the existing problems. Finally, the research methods, research objectives, and innovations of this article are proposed. The first chapter mainly analyzes the origin of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. The changes brought about by the two world wars and the industrial revolution are the realistic background for the emergence of this theory. Marx’s thought and Freud’s theory are the theoretical source and foundation of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. Fromm, based on Marxist positions and methods, placed human beings in the relationship between human beings and the world and analyzed human behavior from the perspective of economic and social structures. However, he believed that Marx ignored the importance of irrational factors and did not realize the laws of human nature itself. So Fromm borrowed Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and devoted himself to theoretical elaboration of modern people’s social personality from the perspective of social psychology.– The second chapter mainly analyzes the foundation of the critical theory of character structure: the escape freedom theory. In the book >Escape from Freedom<, Fromm reveals the formation process of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom based on the situation of people escaping freedom in modern society, and forms a systematic theory of escaping freedom. This article mainly expounds the process and reasons for people’s transition from pursuing freedom to escaping freedom, and sorts out three manifestations of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom: authoritarianism, destructive desire, and mechanical convergence. Fromm seeks to find a positive way out of love and labor for people, enabling them to maintain individual independence, achieve positive freedom, and establish close ties with others. The third chapter mainly explains the construction of the critical theory of personality structure. >Man for Himself< is a sequel to escaping freedom. Fromm further reveals the alienation of modern personality structure in his book. The discussion of human nature is the foundation and prerequisite for the concept of social character. Fromm revealed three main contradictions faced by human beings by analyzing their survival dilemmas, which led to various needs. It is precisely because people have adopted different ways and means in the process of striving to meet these needs that they have formed different social personalities. This part systematically explores the connotation of social character, the expression of alienation of human social character, and the division of social character-productive and non-productive social character. It focuses on explaining four types of pathological non-productive social character, and initially proposes an ideal personality under sound social conditions, namely, productive social character.– The fourth chapter mainly discusses the future dimensions of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the ideological extension of >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<. Since the existing society is morbid and cannot support the shaping of an ideal productive social character, it should move towards the construction of a sound society. Fromm proposed three solutions to the problems of capitalist society: totalitarianism, super capitalism, and socialism beyond both. He analyzed the reasons why the three solutions could not be implemented, and then advocated the establishment of >Humanistic socialism<. He proposed standards and theoretical ideas for a sound society, and discussed specific reform plans for moving towards a sound society. The fifth chapter evaluates the value and limitations of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. This theory enriches Marx’s alienation theory, expands the content of Marxist social character and Freud’s character theory, and has unique theoretical contributions. At the same time, it also deepened the criticism of contemporary capitalist society. Of course, it also has the limitations of breaking away from historical materialism and not touching the fundamental contradictions of capitalist society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
[Chinese abstract not available] >Ragtime<, published in 1975, is the fourth novel written by Jewish-American novelist E. L. Doctorow, for which he was awarded >the 1976 National Book Critics Circle Award<. Doctorow focused on the important figures in three families to explore the fate of different classes in the United States, and he didn’t try to write a grand history of the entire United States to reflect that time. He perfectly presented three very different American family freedom dilemmas in >Ragtime<: One was a wealthy middle-class white family, the other was a Jewish family from European immigrants, and the last was a black family, which genuinely reproduced the microcosm of all classes in that era. At present, some scholars have explored >Ragtime< from different angles such as feminist criticism and new historicism. Because of its unique writing style and ingenious narrative techniques, there are also many scholars studying the narrative strategy of the novel. However, there is a lack of comprehensive comments on the dilemma of freedom of the protagonists, the mechanism to negative freedom and how to realize positive freedom in the novel. From the perspective of Fromm’s freedom theory, we can find that the freedom dilemma of an individual in modern society makes people confused. So manipulation and being manipulated, a desire to destroy, automaton conformity, and other mechanisms of negative freedom come into being. As for Fromm, to be a complete human being, to be truly free must be achieved through the spontaneous love and creative labor of the individual. Based on Fromm’s view of freedom, the interpretation of >Ragtime< is of guiding significance for individuals in today’s society to move from freedom dilemma to positive freedom. Ultimately, the liberation and free and all-around development of human beings is the highest value orientation for realizing a community with a shared future for mankind, which promotes the human beings to move towards a better tomorrow.
This article explores the relevance of the life and works of Kiyoshi Miki (1897 – 1945), a Japanese philosopher, to Maslovian humanistic psychology. Although Miki and Maslow differ in many respects, they shared a few common points that are important to examine. In his early articles, Miki equated philosophy with confessions of the soul and argued that individuality was impossible within the traditional framework of logic. His first main work on Pascal’s anthropology was an attempt to assimilate and synthesize the German existential/hermeneutic and the French moralist traditions he had learned in Europe in the early 1920s. Despite pioneering works by Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm, humanistic psychology has not exhausted the potentialities of Marxism. Maslow and other intellectuals sympathetic to this materialist philosophy were mutually disappointed. However, Maslow’s enlightened or eupsychian management may be an important step toward social revolution, compensating for a missing psychological viewpoint in traditional Marxism. Miki’s hermeneutic approach to this ideology offers two important points relevant to humanistic psychology: his concept of basic experience – later called Pathos – as the basis of any ideology, and the distinction between dialectic and organicism. His last years, during the War and fascism, raise important questions regarding what talented, self-actualizing intellectuals can do without freedom of speech and expression under a totalitarian and authoritarian regime. Finally, this article addresses how well Miki’s concept of utopia – on which he wrote an essay in the context of a dark age—corresponds to Maslow’s idea of eupsychia.
[Chinese abstract not available] Donna Tartt has published three novels all together. In 2014, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her masterpiece >The Goldfinch<. In this novel, alienation is ubiquitous: A terrorist attack causes irreparable harm to victims; there is widespread addiction to drugs and alcohol; relationships among people are alienated, either superficial and distorted or indifferent and apathetic; people worship art, freedom or money irrationally. People are belittled, objectified and deprived of love and conscience in a materialistic and egotistic society. In this novel, Donna Tartt condemns terrorism and explores the causes of alienation and the ways to overcome it which are scientific and reasonable according to Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation which is the theoretical basis of this thesis. Many articles compare >The Goldfinch< with the works of famous writers like Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Some analyze the power or value of art or explore the question about the degree of freedom. And some praise the excellent writing skills and delicate expressions in the novel. This thesis focuses on manifestations and causes of alienation and ways to alleviate it, which have not been analyzed deeply yet.– This thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter introduces >The Goldfinch< and its author Donna Tartt and Erich Fromm and his alienation theory. This chapter also makes the literature review, analyzing related studies at home and abroad. The second chapter concerns the manifestations of alienation, including people’s irrational worship of art, freedom or money, apathetic relationships between fathers and sons and between man and others, characters’ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and widespread addiction to drugs and alcohol. The third chapter explores causes of alienation in >The Goldfinch<, pointing out that it is materialism and egotism in capitalist society that lead to inferiority and objectification of man and disappearance of conscience and love under the guidance of Fromm’s theory of alienation. The fourth chapter is about redemption in this novel in thought, action and feeling, proposing that to overcome alienation, man should wake up from stupor and pay more attention to human beings than to things as Hobie does to Theo and as Theo does to Mrs. Barbour, man should make right choices actively when selecting career and choosing between good and evil and man should relate himself to the world lovingly and artistically. All these ways can help people overcome alienation and get redemption according to Fromm’s theory. Lastly, there is a conclusion of the whole thesis. This novel shows that productive love is the most important for people to develop and fulfill humanity, which is the ultimate weapon to overcome alienation. In front of alienation, people should not give up their self and humanity, but believe in their own life force and face everything bravely. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 2/2024]
[Chinese abstract not available] From a philosophical point of view, creativity is the development of people’s subjective understanding of the development and changes in the world formed in practice, and is the intrinsic motivation to realize individual self-development and promote social progress. With the deepening of the scientific and technological revolution, innovation has become more and more important in the development of the country, and fundamentally stimulating the creative vitality of individuals and society has become an inherent requirement for social development. At the same time, the emergence of the epidemic has bred pessimism about the future development of the situation, and a series of social problems have emerged one after another. In the post-COVID-19 era, to dispel people’s negative emotions and fundamentally enhance people’s confidence in the future situation, we need not only a solid material guarantee for the country, but also a better understanding of the current situation. In Fromm’s view, forming a rational understanding of the individual and the world is an important manifestation of the creative development of the individual. As one of the important representatives of the humanistic psychoanalysis school, Fromm saw the commonalities between Marx’s humanistic doctrine and Freud’s psychoanalysis theory, and thus combined the two organically. In the face of various problems existing in capitalist society, Fromm adhered to the humanistic stance, and made diagnosis and treatment of society and people living in it from the perspective of social psychology. From the perspective of human feelings and needs, he pointed out that the perfect state of human development should be creative and spontaneous.– This paper points out the pathological phenomenon in the modern capitalist society and the alienation phenomenon of people in it, and criticizes this phenomenon strongly, and puts forward the targeted reform plan, hoping to build a sound society to realize the creative development of people. He believed that creativity fulfilled the unique need of human survival and was a potential for a mentally healthy person. Creative people can fully develop their personality and reason, express their true inner needs, and have a constructive relationship with themselves and the world. Only a sound society can stimulate people’s creativity. Fromm’s attempt to clarify the interaction between economic base and ideology from the perspective of social psychology points out the role of creativity in human development, enriches the connotation of human essence, and specifically analyzes the psychological mechanism of alienation of modern man on the basis of the interpretation of the general psychological mechanism of man. His creative theory is not only a supplement and development of Marx’s humanistic thought, but also an inheritance and development of the Frankfurt School’s social and cultural theories. Although his proposals for changes in the economic, social, political and cultural fields are not directed at the capitalist system itself, but are only an improvement of the present society, and many of his theoretical ideas are too specific and lack practicality, his theories profoundly combine human existence and psychological conditions with social development, inspiring us to pay attention to people’s needs and seek solutions to social problems from the subjectivity of people. It has a great value for our country to implement the spirit of putting people first, dispel the negative emotions of individuals under the epidemic, and re-establish social confidence. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
Fromm’s Critique of the Having-oriented Culture and Its Contemporary Value [弗洛姆对“重占有”文化的批判及其时代价值]
(2023)
Fromm points out in his theory of living mode that the having-oriented culture is caused by the market-oriented social character and it manifests itself as the abstraction of social culture, the unhindered desire and the utilitarianism of education. Fromm’s Critique of the having-oriented culture has offered us great inspiration with respect to the construction of socialist culture in China in the new era that we must uphold the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, build cultural confidence and strength, and promote the development of socialist spiritual civilization. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 8/2023]
In the theory of living mode, Fromm points out that bartering with money provides the preconditions for the emergence of the having-oriented consumption, building an external sense of self is the essence of the having consumption, and never being satisfied is the consequence of the having-oriented consumption. Fromm’s critique of the having-oriented consumption has important enlightenment significance for China to prevent and resolve the adverse effects of consumerism in the new era. We should vigorously cultivate and practice the core socialist values, strengthen the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, and guide people to establish a correct concept of consumption. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
Capitalism and its offspring, neoliberalism, are omnipresent in modern and postmodern societies. Illich, Giroux, and McLaren, among others, point to the futility and inequity of current models of education that focus on standardization, vocationalism, and conformity. Running counter to these powerful hegemonic systems, critical pedagogues and educational philosophers such as hooks and Silverman follow philosophers Frankfurt and Wolf in identifying a teaching approach rooted in love. Such an ethic embodies a robust, punk confrontation to potentially damaging, dehumanizing institutional norms perpetrated by current systems of schooling (Hewitt & Smith, 2020). The authors present and discuss vignettes as a duo-ethnographic study of one teacher’s work with a high school choir in Colorado Springs, USA, through which she works to engage young people as compassionate artistic citizens (Elliott & Silverman, 2015; Hendricks 2018). By teaching with love and by modeling love, she teaches young people to love, embracing what Noddings (2005) identifies as an ethic of care. This choral community demonstrates the messy, anarchist ideal that Wright (2019) highlights as a necessary future for music education, wherein the educator diverts from teaching solely to standardized expectations to address the affiliative needs of her students through a love that desires good for her students (Fromm, 1956; Noddings, 2005)
While many psychosocial theorists have drawn on psychoanalysis to explore conscious and unconscious connections between the psychic and the social, most such efforts have been in the realm of >applied psychoanalysis,< that is, the exploration of unconscious process in group relations, institutions, cultures, historical eras. Few, but increasingly more psychosocial psychoanalytic writers are taking up how socially shaped unconscious processes emerge and are worked with in the clinic.– In this chapter, I review some of the psychosocial psychoanalytic theory that has informed clinical work, including the work of Fanon, Fromm, liberation psychologists, psychoanalytic feminist theorists, and critical race theorists. My focus is on how concepts that bridge the psychic and the social, without reducing one to the other, have found their way into clinical theory and practice.– The chapter surveys a few different conceptualizations of what is meant by clinical social psychoanalysis and then focuses more specifically on what I have called >normative unconscious processes,< my own attempt conceptually to bridge these domains. Extending Fromm’s concepts of social unconscious and social character, I argue that a properly psychosocial psychoanalysis must account for the ways that patients’ and therapists’ intersectional social locations (e.g., class, race, gender, sexuality), as they are lived and enacted within particular power relations and histories, unconsciously and consciously emerge in the clinic, at times reproducing, and at times countering what Fromm called the >pathology of normalcy.< Given the current conjuncture, particular attention will be paid to neoliberal subject formations as they are met with in the clinic. The chapter concludes with a review of recent clinical papers that offer ways to counter the reproduction of normative unconscious processes.
Rachel Joyce, a senior British BBC playwright and columnist of the Sunday Times, has played a major role in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Royal National Theater. Joyce turned to writing after 20 years of career in stage drama and television. In 2012, Joyce published the novel >The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry<, which is Joyce’s maiden work. It tells us the story of a retired old man on a pilgrimage across England on foot to save his old friend suffering from cancer. Harold, the protagonist, successfully realized his own salvation in this seemingly impossible journey. While waiting for him to return home, his wife, Maureen, began to reflect herself, gradually established the contact with the outside world and got rid of the self-isolation. The relationship between the couple also got back together after the pilgrimage. This novel is regarded as a novel that can heal the soul. Joyce, the author, has successfully touched the hearts of many readers with her unique narrative skills, and also successfully demonstrated the unique attention of female writers to the inner world of the characters.– On the basis of the researches at home and abroad, this thesis uses Fromm’s alienation theory to analyze the alienation of the characters in >The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry< from the three aspects: the alienation between man and self, the alienation between interpersonal relationships and the alienation between human and society, and further explores the various attempts made by the characters in the novel to eliminate alienation.– First of all, there is alienation between man and self. People become numb and isolated because of the lack of love in childhood and the traumatic experience in adulthood. However, by taking the initiative to assume responsibility and establish the contact with the outside world, they can realize the reconstruction of their own identity, and get rid of the self-isolation and successfully eliminate self-alienation.– Secondly, alienation has also occurred between interpersonal relationships. In the novel, the seemingly harmonious marital relationship between the husband and wife hides an insurmountable gap. The relationships between friends are full of use and friendship is no longer pure. Through the pilgrimage, Harold has a new understanding of his identity as a husband, and his wife has also begun to self-reflect and break away from the state of constant criticism to her husband. All kinds of people who met on the way also gave Harold warmth and care, making people realize that pure friendship still exists and that alienation of interpersonal relationships can be eliminated.– Finally, the relationship between people and society has produced alienation, which is mainly manifested in two aspects, namely, the alienation of material desire and the stereotyped life-style. In the highly developed modern society, people pursue fame and wealth too much and their life style is too simple, which squeezes people’s vitality and makes life too monotonous. Through establishing a sound society, human beings can get rid of the drive of material desire, regain vitality and uniqueness. Alienation is the universal theme of modern literature, which can reveal the living conditions and inner world of people in modern society.– The purpose of this thesis is to call on people to pay attention to their inner world and improve their sense of self-identity. When they are in a state of alienation, they should take positive measures to get out of it and take creative ways to learn to build a harmonious and healthy relationship with themselves, others and society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 8/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] Starting from Fromm’s >freedom< theoretical system and based on Marx’s definition of the proletariat, Alice and Laura in >The Blind Assassin< are divided into proletarians objectified by the bourgeoisie. In the capitalist free market economy, Alice, as a representative of the proletariat, shifted her attitude towards freedom from >avoidance< to >pursuit<. Analyze the reasons for her self-awareness from passive avoidance to active pursuit of freedom in the context of the times, and come to the conclusion that in order to escape freedom, she tends towards authority and attachment. Although she can gain a sense of belonging, it also means the extinction of herself. Only by actively pursuing freedom can she truly achieve individual independence and integrity, and shape a healthy life. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
The societal changes of the last century, especially in the aftermath of World War II, have led thinkers to imagine philosophical anthropology centered on the concept of hope. From very different perspectives, authors such as Ernst Bloch, Erich Fromm, and Hannah Arendt understood that hope is deeply connected with the condition and destiny of humanity. Various sociologists have developed concepts closely linked with hope: action, social change, utopia, revolution, emancipation, innovation, and trust. However, a coherent and systematic analysis is yet to emerge. Taking up the threads of this rich but fragmented reflection, this paper intends to outline the traits of a >sociology of hope< as a tool for critically interpreting today’s society and the processes of change crisscrossing it, starting from some crucial questions: Who are the actors and historical bearers of hope? What are the main socio-historical forms of hope? What social, political, and cultural conditions favors the emergence and strengthening of this disposition? What are the effects and consequences on personal and social life?
O poczuciu bezradności
(2023)
Poczucie bezsilności
(2023)
Postawa kreatywna
(2023)
Czy nadal kochamy życie?
(2023)
Wola życia
(2023)
Vita activa
(2023)
The Courage of Disobedience
(2023)
Albert Camus, Emmanuel Levinas, Erich Fromm, Paulo Freire, and Mahatma Gandhi take issue, each in their own way, with the individualism and pessimism of Existentialist philosophy. They also question the ideological complacency and oversimplifications of social evolutionism. While these thinkers disagree on the role of God and rational thought in human affairs, they see courage as an important lever for resisting oppressive systems that undermine people’s freedom, their capacity for self-affirmation, their hopes for lasting peace, and their sense of humanity and ethical responsibility. The critical and progressive stance they take on the ravages of modern-day authoritarianism, colonialism, and imperialism is a world away from Hitler’s heinous call for the >courage of aggression< and the horrors that ensued.
Learning >in the Hive<: >Social Character< and Student Wellbeing in the Age of Psychometric Data
(2023)
Growing societal concern about a crisis in the wellbeing of young people has prompted a range of responses from governments and corporations, predicated on an ideal of the resilient, self-reliant individual. Behavioural economists, data scientists and educational technology companies now offer a variety of psychological interventions based on psychometric data, aimed at ‘equipping’ individual students with the necessary skills and character to enable them to withstand the pressures of contemporary life. As a consequence, the critical importance of mutually supportive interpersonal relationships continues to be neglected in mainstream approaches to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). This article draws on Fromm’s theory of social character and Zuboff’s analysis of >life in the hive< to challenge the assumptions about human behaviour underpinning data science and its application in digital tools for social and emotional learning and self-managed wellbeing. To improve students’ wellbeing, we need to begin with an understanding of why they are more likely to thrive within a network of mutually supportive social relationships than a digital >hive<.
Historians, including intellectual historians such as myself, rely more on primary source research than philosophers. During the period 1992–2001, I conducted extensive research on both the Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer Archives in Frankfurt, Germany. This essay describes my experiences working in these archives. I highlight, in particular, some of the most important discoveries I made in the archives and how the primary source documents shaped my understanding of Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer’s crucial contributions to the development of Critical Theory. The essay also emphasizes the value of primary source research, especially for those working in the materialist tradition of the early Frankfurt School, which emphasizes the >Zeitkern der Wahrheit<, that is, the impossibility of separating ideas from a historically specific social context.
This chapter introduces a psychosocial strand of thinking that offers a way to conceive of creative relations between the psyche and the world. Whereas much current psychosocial theory stresses how anxieties are managed by defending the self against the world or fuel subjection to oppressive social norms, the theories we engage with here point to ways in which anxieties can be employed in the urge to bridge inner longings and external realities. These ideas took form in the early Frankfurt School, which despite their comprehensive integration of psychoanalytic and social theory until recently has been comparatively marginalized in Anglophone Psychosocial Theory.– The chapter presents and discusses three notions: Erich Fromm’s Freedom, Hans Loewald’s Resonance, and Alfred Lorenzer’s Interaction. Even though different in emphasis and outlook, these notions contribute to a shared intellectual project, namely, to point to potentially productive and non-antagonist interactions between the psyche and society. They do so not by virtue of some resistant part of unspoiled nature residing in the body or in the mind, but by virtue of being able to point to the more or less life-enhancing and life-impeding forms this interaction of psychic energies and societal needs may take.– We argue that these theorists and their notions of freedom, resonance and interaction, contribute to further developing the materialist conception of the psychosocial in ways that appear specifically urgent today. They enable us to theorize tensions within current society, between dynamics that drive instrumentalization and reification on the one hand, and more life-enhancing and mutually enriching interactions between human beings, social structures, and natural environments on the other.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, in 1923, this book aims at shedding light on the archives of some of the key thinkers of Critical Theory of Society, also well known as >Frankfurt School<. To pay homage to this current of thought, this contributed volume aims to make the archives speak for themselves, to show the public the quantity of unpublished material still existing by the authors of the Critical Theory which are now in funds in different parts of the world (in Germany, in Italy, or in the United States), and to show that Critical Theory remains alive 100 years after its inception.– The volume starts by presenting the archives of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the thinkers who inspired Critical Theory, and the archives of the Institute for Social Research itself. Then it dedicates separate sections to the archives of Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Friedrich Pollock, Herbert Marcuse, Leo Löwenthal and Jürgen Habermas. The book is composed of chapters written by researchers and editors who worked in the different fonds, as well as chapters written by or interviews with researchers who were or are in charge of some of the archives, or who are especially familiar with the material.– The Archives of Critical Theory will be an invaluable tool for researchers in many disciplines working with Critical Theory of Society, such as Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Education, Law and Cultural Studies, among others. Readers will find information about the content of each archive and the history of its constitution. The various contributions present many ways in which the materials may be explored and explain how such explorations affected or may yet affect the state of the research.