Escape from Freedom
by Erich Fromm · first published 1941
74% recommend26% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Social-psychology study of why people give up freedom for authority, written around the rise of Nazism. Recommended for understanding authoritarian appeal, the burden of choice, and negative versus positive freedom.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Escape from Freedom is a book by the Frankfurt-born psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, first published in the United States by Farrar & Rinehart in 1941 with the title Escape from Freedom and a year later as The Fear of Freedom in UK by Routledge & Kegan Paul. It was translated into German and first published in 1952 under the title 'Die Angst vor der Freiheit' (The Fear of Freedom). In the book, Fromm explores humanity's shifting relationship with freedom, with particular regard to the personal consequences of its absence. His special emphasis is the psychosocial conditions that facil
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+1 for Erich Fromm! My entire concept of office politics is based on a work by Fromm, Escape From Freedom. His Premise in the book is that people don't want to have to make decisions or be responsible, that they would rather have other people make decisions for them. He makes a point there there is a relationship,…
on “Study: People Want Power Because They Want Autonomy” ↗…thought and planning to ensure it worked out that way. Finally if anyone out there who's suddenly landed FU money is feeling a little disorientated by their new situation, I highly recommend reading "Escape from Freedom" by Erich Fromm, which is a wonderful book about the psychological and existential challenges that freedom brings.
on “Ask PG & other successful folks: how did your life change after FU money?” ↗…something like this after reading Godel, Escher, Bach. I can't say I've found a simple way back, but if you're into detailed psych Eric Fromm's books in English were fascinating to read and helped a bit. (Escape from Freedom, Man for Himself, Sane Society) If you aren't so much into that (or even if you are) professional help is not a bad thing.
on “Why am I here?” ↗* The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt Tries to explain the reasons behind all the "triggering" and safe spaces phenomenon on college campuses * Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm WWII as the outset, one of the topic discussed why people in a democracy would turn to authoritarian figures.
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗"One Dimensional Man" by Marcuse certainly, "Escape From Freedom" by Erich Fromm and for more contemporary review, Mark Fisher of course. You also can't miss Guy Debord (his Society of the Spectacle) and, although I haven't read him yet, Henri Lefebvre's "Critique…
on “The Lost Futures of Mark Fisher” ↗…and evil. You must look into the psychosocial conditions that made Germany the breeding grounds for Nazism. Why was it appealing to the ordinary Germany citizen? I recommend reading Erich Fromm's book Escape from Freedom as he explores this at depth. Still a relevant book almost 80 years after being written — where might observe similar phenomena today?
on “They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45” ↗More independence/freedom breads unhappiness. This doesn't mean its bad, or the wrong direction. It simply means additional measures need to be taken. Erich Fromm's "Escape from Freedom" is a great book on the subject.
on “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness [pdf]” ↗Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker The Revolution of Everyday Life by Raoul Vaneigem The Society of the Spectacle by Debord Nihilist Communism by Monsieur Dupont The Dispossessed…
on “Books That Changed My Life” ↗The classic work on the 'authoritarian personality' is Erich Fromm's Escape From Freedom.
on “Milgram experiment redone: crowd "tortures" man on fake TV show” ↗Thanks doubly for the detailed response. I very much enjoyed Fromm's Escape from Freedom when I read it a few years ago, I will definitely buy the Art of Loving.
on “Why you shouldn't bother with an MBA” ↗Eric Fromm's essay "Fear of Feadom" (or "Escape from Freedom" in the US) describes this phenomenon in great detail. Well worth a read.
on “Existential Depression in Gifted Children” ↗Not OP, but a similar author in this vein is Erich Fromm [1]. Some of his earlier english works (Sane Society, Escape from Freedom) I found useful to read when I was also reading Frankl. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Fromm#Later_works_in_Eng...
on “Man's Search for Meaning” ↗…trouble with Society of the Spectacle, though I managed to find help getting through it. Some are more approachable though, like Marcuse's shorter essays, Marx's non-Capital economic works and Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom. Edit: and of course Slavoj Zizek, though he is known to simplify and reduce concepts until the reader only gets a "kinda yeah" idea of what's being talked about. Sometimes I really do wonder if the…
on “Today is the last chance to comment on the proposal to kill net neutrality” ↗…Incredibly insightful. Haidt's Happiness Hypothesis was the best book I'd read in a while, also highly recommended. It's about much more than just happiness, but how our mind/self/consciousness/emotions work. Escape from Freedom (also known as Fear of Freedom) is great, as are a lot of Fromm's books. He's my favourite psychologist, and by a long way favourite Frankfurt School writer. I also love Man for Himself, The Sane Society,…
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗…political environment in the US. People with influence want to push us towards fascism or its equally aborrent flip-side - socialiam. And people are naturally drawn to it. There is an excellent book called "Escape From Freedom" by erich fromm which deals with people and their relationship with authority.
on “Germany to make it a crime to run a Tor node or website” ↗