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A review by mistypane
To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm
5.0
I haven't read Fromm for a while and it's such a pleasure to read; nuanced ideas expressed so clearly and with warmth rather than dry academic prose (but then what would I expect from the person who wrote the wonderful the art of loving).
For me philosophy at its best is about recognising that how we think fundamentally shapes our worlds and views of ourselves, what we allow ourselves to become. For instance, Fromm points to the ways on which our language demonstrates an alienated 'having' orientation - for instance, 'I have a happy marriage' rather than 'I am happily married' indicating even relationships as objects of possession... rather than a process in which we are engaged.
For me philosophy at its best is about recognising that how we think fundamentally shapes our worlds and views of ourselves, what we allow ourselves to become. For instance, Fromm points to the ways on which our language demonstrates an alienated 'having' orientation - for instance, 'I have a happy marriage' rather than 'I am happily married' indicating even relationships as objects of possession... rather than a process in which we are engaged.