To Have or to Be? Book

Nothing less than a major manifesto for a new social and psychological revolution to save our threatened planet, 'To Have or to Be?' is the summary of a lifetime of thought by one of our most penetrating social analysts. Erich Fromm's thesis in this remarkable book is that two modes of existence are struggling for the spirit of humankind: the 'having' mode, which concentrates on material possession, acquisitiveness, power, and aggression and is the basis of such universal evils as greed, envy, and violence; and in 'being' mode, which is based in love, in the pleasure of sharing, and in meaningful and productive rather than wasteful activity. Fromm sees the 'having' mode of bringing the world to the brink of psychological and ecological disaster, and he outlines a brilliant program for socioeconomic change that could steer the world away from its catastrophic course.Read More