| Erich Fromm holds the view that although capitalist society creates a high level civilization, it is a sick society yet. It causes an extreme alienation of humanity, especially in consumption areas. From depending on people to be independent, consumption has become a control power that overriding people. This change is not only owing to humanity’s alienation, but ascribes social factors as capitalist mode of production and economic system etc. In the world of consumption alienation, people haven’t enjoyed pleasure of material civilization, insteadly they are suffering a huge mental distress. They lost their humanity and dignity, their initiative and creative, they turn into consumption machines who can only experience fake happiness and freedom, and are facing potential existent crisis, even war. Fromm expressed deep sympathy and worry to these people, at the same time, he explored reform programs to get rid of consumption alienation. Based on the combination of Freud’s psychoanalysis and Marxist theory, Fromm established humanistic ethics, hoping through a humanitarian consumption attitude and production humanity to promote a sane society.The first part explains the meaning of consumption alienation, clarifies the causes of it, just as the lack of accociation demand, religion reform, capitalist economic system etc.; the second section describes the various disadvantages of consumption alienation, like humanity’s destruction, missing of consumption experience, ecological and war crisis etc., and analyses the programs of establishing the humanitarian community and production humanity which raised by Fromm to solve consumption alienation; the last piece summerizes the consumption alienation in our society, and the revelation of Fromm’s theory to our country’s contribution. |
