Philosophy
Escape from Freedom
CevvelaPhilosophy
Escape from Freedom
Erich Fromm · Say Yayınları · 1941
8
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8.0 (3.439 oy)
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Summary
A psycho-sociological analysis of how modern humans, fearing the burden of the boundless freedom they gained upon breaking free from the rigid confines of the Middle Ages and becoming more individualistic, have willingly sought refuge in totalitarian regimes, authority, and conformity.
Quotes from Cevvela
“When a person attains freedom, they are terrified by the loneliness it brings.”
“Being like everyone else is a security the individual buys at the price of destroying their own identity.”
“Modern man thinks he has broken free of his chains, but in fact he has fastened them onto his own mind.”
“Submitting to authority is the easiest way to escape one’s own responsibility.”
“The courage to be yourself requires rejecting all those false feelings of security.”
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Reader Score: 8.0 / 10(3.439 votes)
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Fromm demonstrates how, while people shout about freedom, they are actually searching deep down for a master. Freedom is a heavy burden; for it requires making decisions, taking responsibility, and enduring that cold solitude. When Cevvela tells those who have remained unfulfilled—because they have not been convinced—to “find your own essence,” he is actually offering them this heavy burden to shoulder. Most people flee this burden and choose to conform to the herd, follow a dictator, or enter the invisible prison of social expectations. In the very moments when you think you are free, you realize how you have surrendered your own will to seek the crowd’s approval—and you feel ashamed of yourself. Anyone who cannot endure their own solitude is doomed to wear an invisible leash.