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Escape from Freedom
- Narrated by: Anthony Haden Salerno
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
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Escape from Freedom
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Summary
lf a man cannot stand freedom, he will probably turn fascist. This, in the fewest possible words, is the essential argument in this modem classic, Escape from Freedom. The author, Erich Fromm, is a distinguished psychologist, late of Berlin and Heidelberg, now of New York City.
He applies the psychoanalytical method to the illness of our civilization which expresses itself in an abject submission to dictatorship. It is true that the rise of democracy set men free and brought to an end the authority of the medieval state and the medieval church. But it brought into existence a society where a man feels isolated from his fellows, where relationships in an industrial age are impersonal, where insecurity replaces a sense of belonging.
This sense of isolation may drive an individual to one of various forms of escape. lt may drive a people to seek escape in blind devotion to a leader, in utter submission to an all-powerful state, into a barbarous and sadistic program of aggression against minority groups or neighbor nations.
Few books since the rise of the dictators have thrown such light upon our times. Few books have penetrated so clearly into the causes of fascism and Nazism - and into the inherent qualities of a democracy. In his psychoanalysis of the social scene, the author makes a new contribution to psychology by modifying the basic concepts of Freud in placing a purely biological orientation by a cultural one.
To all who see that democracy today faces its gravest hour, Dr. Fromm illustrates the essential character of the danger and the nature of democracy's responsibility. By its brilliant exposition of the modern social scene Escape from Freedom will help clarify many of today's most perplexing problems.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Harris
- 20-11-23
Essential, Illuminating Reading.
What is really going on in the world, and why? Where are we, and how did we get here?
Ok, not the easiest book, but to provide a theoretical framework to approach these questions, it was never going to be. I have both the printed version and the audiobook as I find returning to it to be continually stimulating and enlightening.
A work to be kept in mind, as you strive to make sense of the destruction that surrounds us.
And, considering it was written in 1941, a book for all time.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Daniel Smith
- 03-12-20
Enlightening
Loved this book, my first of Erich Fromm's work and found it extremely interesting. Only criticism is the narration, I personally find it a little too dry and almost robotic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- LC
- 05-08-24
Significant and thought provoking
This book explorers, the nature of personal freedom, how it is attained, and how it is avoided or escaped from, and why.
I found it to be explained well, including examples, and therefore provide they could level of clarity about what is being explained. I found this view to be significant in its implications and importance, and therefore also quite thought provoking.
It’s one that I expect I will come back to as there is a lot to take in and think about.
The nation was fine. Could be better but good enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Richard Block
- 11-12-23
True Trump Understanding
A classic study of the authoritarian personality that applies today. Think of Trump and see what I mean.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AGGELOS IOAKIMIDES
- 19-10-17
Indispensable concepts, Complicated writing, boring performance.
The narration is very boring and because the writing is complicated and has a lot of redundancies, it is easy to drift off, even though the basic themes and implications are one of the most profound books, conceptually, I’ve ever read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr
- 07-04-21
Stephen Hawking lives.
This guy’s voice is so robotic it put me to sleep too many times. Gave up half way through the book twice.
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