To Have or to Be? (World Perspectives, Vol. 50) [Hardcover]

Erich Fromm (Author), Ruth Nanda Anshen (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1976

To Have Or to Be? is one of the seminal books of the second half of the 20th century. Nothing less than a manifesto for a new social and psychological revolution to save our threatened planet, this book is a summary of the penetrating thought of Eric Fromm. His thesis is that two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity. To Have Or to Be? is a brilliant program for socioeconomic change.>

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Erich Fromm (1900-1980) studied sociology and psychoanalysis. In 1933, he emigrated as a member of the Frankfurt School of social thinkers to the United States, moved to Mexico in 1950, and spent his twilight years between 1974 and 1980 in Switzerland. His books Fear of Freedom (1941) and The Art of Loving (1956) made him famous. Other well-known books are Marx’s Concept of Man, Beyond the Chains of Illusion, and The Essential Fromm. > --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row, Publishers; 1st edition (September 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060113790
• ISBN-13: 978-0060113797
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Process, not possession, March 18, 2005

By 

Edwardson Tan (.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Have or to Be? (Paperback)

To have or to be?

Well... to be, says Fromm.

In response to the materialism of our century and our propensity to reification, psychoanalyst Erich Fromm proposes a mode of living that he argues is the way out of our psychospiritual conundrum.

Within the pages of this book, one of the last before his demise, the author of the bestseller _ The Art of Loving_ describes the two modes possible--that of having and being. 20th century culture he says has developed into employing and relying on the having mode--of appropriating things and even humans for oneself. Even love has been turned into an object, when in fact no such thing exists. Only the act of loving is possible.

In contradistinction to having is being. It is a mode of active participation in life. While the misnomer 'falling in love' is touted by the world as the norm, Fromm argues that true loving is an effortful activity. While accumulating knowledge is the way of having, the being mode of knowing is a process of understanding.

Although written nearly three decades ago, Fromm's worldview continues to be the ideal. This work of his is a timeless caveat against the dehumanization of society.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For serious reader, May 1, 2005

By 

J. Marui (Belgrade, SCG) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Have or to Be? (Paperback)

Fromm is one of the classics - along with Freud, Jung, Adler. He studied psychology, philosophy and sociology, received his PhD at the age of 22, became interested in Zen Buddhism at the age of 26. One of the true geniuses.

This book was written in 1976. Fromm debates that there are two possible modes of living: one of having and of being. He points out the differences between the two and of a person living in the having mode to the one living in the being mode. He shows the differences in behavior and attitude between the two in many life's areas and experiences: studying, remembering, talking, reading, faith, love, handling authority. The less you are oriented on having, the more you are being.

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Spiritual Book, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: To Have or to Be? (Paperback)

I have already read twice this book in the past three years and consider re-reading it again soon. It has become part of me; everyday I remember key sentences from the book which help me make sense of my own life, attitudes, and ideas. Two notions (a) the "being" way of life as opposed to "having", and (b) "matter is in constant flux" help me let go, relieving me of my attachment to things material. Paradoxically, they also give me the courage to experience life in a more proactive way, and to accept and appreciate life as it is without trying to force events. It's a truly spiritual and healing book.