

#2383
Mentioned in 11 episodes
Escape from Freedom
Book • 1941
In 'Escape from Freedom', Erich Fromm examines the human relationship with freedom, distinguishing between 'freedom from' (negative freedom) and 'freedom to' (positive freedom).
The book discusses how the rise of democracy and the destruction of feudal societies led to a new kind of freedom that many individuals found overwhelming.
Fromm argues that this sense of freedom can lead to feelings of alienation, anxiety, and a desire to escape these feelings through mechanisms such as authoritarianism, destructiveness, and automatic conformity.
He also analyzes the psychosocial conditions that facilitated the rise of Nazism and other totalitarian regimes.
The book is divided into sections that explore the historical transition from medieval to modern society, the psychological factors at play in contemporary society, and the dissection of authoritarian societies with a vision of potential alternatives.
The book discusses how the rise of democracy and the destruction of feudal societies led to a new kind of freedom that many individuals found overwhelming.
Fromm argues that this sense of freedom can lead to feelings of alienation, anxiety, and a desire to escape these feelings through mechanisms such as authoritarianism, destructiveness, and automatic conformity.
He also analyzes the psychosocial conditions that facilitated the rise of Nazism and other totalitarian regimes.
The book is divided into sections that explore the historical transition from medieval to modern society, the psychological factors at play in contemporary society, and the dissection of authoritarian societies with a vision of potential alternatives.
Mentioned by

















Mentioned in 11 episodes
Mentioned by 

as a landmark book exploring the concept of freedom and its potential pitfalls.


Stephen West

147 snips
Episode #151 ... The Frankfurt School - Erich Fromm on Freedom
Mentioned by Jordan B. Peterson in relation to terror management theory and the hero myth.

87 snips
449. Trauma and the Demolition of Faith | Ronnie Janoff-Bulman
Mentioned by 

in relation to the concept of freedom being terrifying.


Brett McKay

31 snips
#598: Journeying From the First to the Second Half of Life
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

in a discussion about existential isolation and communication.

Sheldon Solomon

29 snips
#117 – Sheldon Solomon: Death and Meaning
Mentioned by 

as an excellent book discussing how modern man flees from freedom into intellectual and emotional slavery.


Orion Taraban

21 snips
Episode 524: Some men need marriage (be all that you can be)
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

in the context of a discussion about the capitalist predation of human loneliness.

Richard Gilman Opalski

17 snips
Marxism, Anarchism, and the Power of Communist Imagination: Richard Gilman-Opalsky on Utopia and Revolution
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

as a book that explores the human desire to be led and told what to do.

Todd Perry

Show 71 — Leadership and Action vs. Non-Action
Mentioned by 

in the context of discussing the "having mode" versus the "being mode" of existence.


Curt Jaimungal

Richard Dolan: UFOs, God, Disclosure, Alien Encounters, Totalitarianism, Faith
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

while discussing the concept of freedom and its implications.

Joseph Lee

When Everything Changes: Is There Opportunity in Crisis?
Mentioned by 

when discussing authoritarianism-related traits and fatalistic beliefs.


Tamler Sommers

Episode 46: Very Good Men (with Very Bad Wizards)
Citeret i forbindelse med det tribalistiske lukkede samfund som et psykologisk trygt fællesskab.

De stærke guders genkomst
Cited by Dimitri Shalin as a book by Eric Fromm that influenced Goffman's work.

Dmitri N. Shalin, "Erving Manuel Goffman: Biographical Sources of Sociological Imagination" (Routledge, 2024)
Mentioned by Dimitri Shalin as a largely unacknowledged influence on Goffman's 'Presentation of Self in Everyday Life'.

Dmitri N. Shalin, "Erving Manuel Goffman: Biographical Sources of Sociological Imagination" (Routledge, 2024)
Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson as a book that explains a lot of what's going on with the political situation both in the US and much of the Western world right now.

20VC: Basecamp Founder David Heinemeier Hansson on Why It Is The Biggest BS To Chase Being A Unicorn, His Relationship to Wealth and Status and Why Now More Than Ever It Is A Myth Entrepreneurs Have To Raise VC
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

when discussing freedom from and freedom to.

Michael Ashcroft

137: How You Can Feel More Alive in Your Work (feat. Michael Ashcroft)
Mentioned by 

as a best-selling international book about authoritarianism in Germany and Hitler.


Daniel Shaw

Brief: Trump’s Impending Ego Implosion (w/ Daniel Shaw)
Mentioned by Pippa Malmgren when discussing the possibility of a more authoritarian society.

Are We Facing a Great Depression? James Rickards and Pippa Malmgren
Mentioned by Dimitri N. Shalin as being influence by Eric Fromm.

Dmitri N. Shalin, "Erving Manuel Goffman: Biographical Sources of Sociological Imagination" (Routledge, 2024)