Analysis Of Fromm's Concept Of Freedom

Freedom is the theme that people have been trying to search after and the object that people have been trying to obtain in old times. However, people have different opinions of freedom. People mainly think that human can obtain the freedom as soon as the external chains vanish, but Erich Fromm had different ideas. He thought there were dual freedom in the world and found a way to the freedom. His thought has important theoretical and realistic meanings.This thesis is mainly composed of four parts as following:First part aims at introducing social background and ideological origins which Erich Fromm's freedom ideology produced, and his special experience that affected his freedom ideology.The days that Fromm lived in was former 80 years of last century, in which various social contradictions were sharp .Two times world war, economic crisis and nuclear weapon brought people huge disaster and became large social laboratory including his special experience. All these things formed realistic basis of his freedom ideology. Freud's psychoanalysis theory ,Marx's historical materialism theory and alienation theory,Zen Buddhism thought exerted great influence to forming Fromm's freedom ideology.Fromm's freedom ideology is breadthwise discussed in second part. Firstly, the meaning of Fromm's freedom is simply explained. His freedom has dual meanings: one is active freedom and the other is passive freedom. Active Freedom is a feeling that people want to do and volunteer to do something, passive freedom is a feeling that people get rid of external chains. Logically active freedom includes passive freedom but passive freedom doesn't include active freedom. Next, the essay carefully analyse the relation of freedom and alienation, freedom and spontaneous action, freedom and democracy. The passive freedom that all people attain can not make the soul peace either can get the active freedom. Only the sound people who do things spontaneously can get active freedom.The aim of third part is mainly to feel and think freedom. Firstly, according to of the turn of the development of society analyse the attitude and situation that people chase the freedom .Especially, people in modern society has contradictive thought that people chase freedom and are afraid of attaining it. Next, according to grow of person, state the character of freedom in period of psychology. Different period of society and psychology, people have different attitude on freedom. This suggests freedom is existent essence of human. Freedom exists accompanying human existence. The human development history is also the history that people chase freedom. Freedom is different according to different individuation. All in this meaning is passive freedom. Passive freedom only can make people feel lonely and anxiety and escape from freedom. To eliminate this situation, Fromm gave serial social reformational measures to build a sound society. Connection this part with second part is that sound people who live in sound society can get the active freedom and reveal humanity.The fourth part aims at evaluating Fromm's freedom ideology properly, according to the rule that getting rid of the bad and absorbing the good.Fromm's dual freedom ideology provides people with new thread that chase freedom. Psychoanalysis of escaping from freedom deepens the understanding of modern society and our national modern construction. The relationship between freedom and spontaneous action has an important meaning. Analysis of psychology and society provides a worthy method for studying history and analysis of individual. Concrete measures on social reform that Fromm put forward have some suggestive meanings for fast developing China .Meanwhile, because of the limit of history and theory , Fromm's freedom ideology is inevitably idealistic .He could not find a real path leading to freedom. The text gives the recapitulative comment at last.