Erich Fromm: A sane society? Mental health in an insane world

摘要

Erich Fromm (1900-1980) was associated with the Frankfurt School of Critical Social theory, noted for their cultural critiques of the ideologies of capitalism. He was no 'mere' sociologist His expertise and interests extended to social psychology, philosophy, psychoanalysis and democratic socialism. In The Sane Society' (1955) he attempts to set forth universal criteria by which societies, note: not individuals, could be judged as sane or otherwise. In doing so, he turns on its head orthodox thinldng that requires the mentally ill to conform to the norms of society. His argument is that both communism and capitalism stifle the human essence and are thus insane societies.