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To have or to be - Erich Fromm Erich Fromm is a great author and in this book he looks at the difference of having (owning stuff) vs. being (enjoying experienc
by shafyy 5y ago
To have or to be - Erich Fromm
Erich Fromm is a great author and in this book he looks at the difference of having (owning stuff) vs. being (enjoying experiences). He argues that too many people are focused on "having", and that our whole society and even language is built around that. For example, you would say "I have a relationship". He argues that it's a weird choice of words, since you don't own the relationship.
- t8y 5y agoI think at the exact same time you posted this I also recommended an Erich Fromm book.
- shafyy 5y agoHe's great!
- bttger 5y agoIs it really common to say "I have a relationship"? I would instinctively say "I am in a relationship". Maybe though it is also because my mother tongue is German and in Germany people say "Ich bin in einer Beziehung".
- shafyy 5y agoMy mother tongue is also German, so maybe I picked a wrong example for this :D A better one would be "I have a partner" maybe? I've read it some time ago, so I don't remember the exact examples, but you get the idea.
- jazzyk 5y agoAlso - The Art of Loving
- ollran 5y agoErich Fromm came to mind as well. The same ideas and themes also appear in the books of Hermann Hesse.