Beyond the Chains of Illusion: My Encounter with Marx and Freud (Bloomsbury Revelations) by Erich Fromm | (PDF) Free Download

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First published in 1962 Beyond the Chains of Illusion is Fromm’s landmark book about Marx and Freud. Here he delivers original readings of these hugely influential thinkers and, in doing so, offers us new ways of understanding the individual and society. Perhaps even more revealing than these readings is the insight we get into Fromm’s own thought and the political and social contexts in which he formed his ideas. Including a foreword by Fromm’s Literary Executor, Rainer Funk, this is unique introduction to Marx and Freud and also to Fromm’s life and thought.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Erich Fromm (1900-1980) studied sociology and psychoanalysis. In 1933, he emigrated as a member of the Frankfurt School of social thinkers to the United States, moved to Mexico in 1950, and spent his twilight years between 1974 and 1980 in Switzerland. His books Fear of Freedom (1941) and The Art of Loving (1956) made him famous. Other well-known books are Marx’s Concept of Man, Beyond the Chains of Illusion, and The Essential Fromm.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Fromm wrote concepts beyond and above. Every time I read and find another thing to think deep or rethink. His thoughts about freedom and escape have many instances of life that you can observe.

⭐Great review of Marx and Freud but wanted a little more autobiographical content on Fromm. Also was interested in how Fromm might have applied concept to his personal practice which was minimally explained and connected. Greatest contribution in this text is to move Marx from the misperception in the world as an economic theorist and return him to the school of psychology where he belonged. The theory of alienation needs to be re integrated into western psychology and not left out because Marx was wrongly associated with how his concepts were bastardized in Russia.

⭐Insights into similarities between Marx and Freud analysis of the human condition and hope for humanity. That humans controlling nature and things to serve humanity

⭐Superb!

⭐Okay, I have to admit I think Fromm is very inspiring. He does do a great job of critically analyzing Freud, and shows how Marx’s social analysis is vastly superior to Freud’s(something which I definitely agree with). He goes to great lengths to show how we are chained to our illusions (be they religions or non-theistic ideologies or in the innumerable other ways so that we feel secure), and shows how we create ideologies out of the great ideas.HOWEVER, it seems to me that he ideologizes towards the end of the book when he uncritically raves about Buddha, Jesus, the Old Testament (and of course Marx throught the entire book). This final contradiction which I found to be so obvious blew me away…how can someone come so far but then so blatantly and uncritically glorify (ideologize?) the ‘Masters’ and ‘Masterworks’, shouldn’t he try to bring those down to earth by analyzing them and risk trying to break what may be our grandest illusions?:1. the reincarnation theory of Buddha,2. the denial we have of the incredible violence of the Old Testament,3. or even more bravely possibly criticizing, or at least analyzing Jesus’ life and ideas,4. he could even try to take on Marx, by perhaps at least raising the great debate of Bakunin/Marx concerning Marx’s possible authoritarianism and the idea of the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’…?If he could critically analyze those four Masters, then I would have been significantly more impressed.I suspect that he may be overly careful about offending and he may even be catering to populist sentiments. He wants the Marxists and the religious folk all in one go. The contradiction and the lack of depth is too much for me to say this is a work of genius (5 stars). 4 stars for trying (but ultimately failing)to legitimately bring us out of alienation and separateness.

⭐Our civilization produced a tremendous number of books to inspire people who enjoy thinking, but the truly great thinkers have suffered greatly from the reversal of meaning as important concepts have been replaced by entertainment values. I am bitter about becoming an unmpublished Freudian expert in the humor of the Vietnam War as Americans dread the monetary net catching the war blood underwater jellyfish that flow with political economy in lame stream media. Fromm has a good picture of the problem of modern man:He has become the object of blind economic forces which rule his life.This part of a discussion of the Old Testament concept of idolatry is only a few pages after describing the neurosis of “all forms of depression, dependence and idol worship (including the fanatic).” Explaining transference in analysis, Fromm states:In order to overcome his sense of inner emptiness and impotence,he chooses an object onto whom he projects all his own human qualities:his love, intelligence, courage, etc. . . .This mechanism, idolatric worship of an object,based on the fact of the individual’s alienation,is the central dynamism of transference,that which gives transference it strength and intensity.These quotes are all from Chapter 6, The Sick Individual and the Sick Society. Much later in the book, brain washing is mentioned as different in degree from the way in which any society exists in “the fundamental picture of a mixture between repression and acceptance of fiction.”Marx did a lot of thinking about the means of production, but lifeless mechanisms that control the flow of money in “the preponderance of the desire for spending and for ever-increasing consumption, as twentieth century capitalism does” is now the major part of the concept of psychic pathology that can make us poorer.

⭐Eric Fromm, the once popular psycho-analyst and Freudian Marxist author of classics like The Free of Freedom, The Sane Society and The Art of Loving is only just really entering into print once more.While Fromm has written books specifically about Freud (Freud: The Greatness and Limitations of his thought) and Marx (Marx’s Theory of Man), here in a single text, which I do not hesitate to call his crowning achievement Fromm introduces what he considers to be the essential thinking of each and describes their influence. It is in some ways semi-autobiographical but its aim is also to present these vital ideas to the public, professional and academic audience who formed Fromm’s readership.While it is in some ways more difficult or technical reading than the popular classic The Art of Loving, it isnt more difficult than The Fear of Freedom, Man For Himself or The Sane Society as it deals with psycho-analytical characterology and Fromm’s ideas about Marx’s theories of human nature and its frustration. As with all his books Fromm’s prose is great and despite being dense there’s a really tangible energy or passion throughout, its easy to see that Fromm is compelled to write and write from the heart. This book is a literary-theoretical book and not wholly technical like The Art of Listening, which I suspect was intended as a training manual for therapists.There is a foreword by Rainer Funk, Fromm’s literary executor, the first chapter begins with personal antecedents; proceeds to the second chapter common ground; then the concept of man and his nature; human evolution; human motivation; the sick individual and the sick society; the concept of mental health; individual and social character, the social unconscious; the fate of other theories; some related ideas and finally Fromm finishes with his credo.Fromm’s own credo is heartening and pretty demanding, leaving you wondering if he aspired to it or truely achieved it, and the book radiates, like a lot of Fromm’s work, an optimistic and hopeful humanism throughout. Curiously Fromm presents disillusionment as a positive and necessary experience, conducive to growth and change for the better.Other points of interest include explanations of trends in consumerism being closely linked to personality traits and social pressures to exhibit those traits and the idea that on a societal and economic level there is, in the developed world at least, a sort of “maturational crisis” developing. Where psycho-analysts have posited that individual failure to overcome maturational crisis results in neurosis, Fromm presents Marx’s theories about business cycles and economic crisis as a corrollary in the economic sphere of life.The only minor complaint about this book is the omission of an index for ease of reference but it is a minor complaint as the book is highly readable and you will be happy to read entire chapters in one sitting, going back and reading them again.

⭐Ordered a second hand copy for a good price and it looked almost brand new and came within a matter of days! Looking forward to reading, thanks 🙂

⭐Good

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