To Have Or To Be?

Outline

To Have Or To Be? (1976) contrasts two basic ways of living: the having mode, focused on owning, consuming, and controlling, and the being mode, focused on growth, sharing, and genuine experience. Erich Fromm argues that modern consumer society pushes people toward having, leaving them anxious and unfulfilled, and calls for a society built around human well-being and meaningful connection.

• Fromm describes two basic ways of living: the having mode and the being mode.
• The having mode centres on owning, consuming, and controlling, while the being mode centres on growth, sharing, and genuine experience.
• Modern consumer society pushes people toward having, which leaves them anxious and unfulfilled.
• Living more deeply comes from authentic connection, shared experience, and a renewed sense of meaning rather than from owning more.
• Fromm calls for a society built around human well-being and meaningful connection.

Erich Fromm (1900–1980) was a German-born American psychoanalyst, social psychologist, and philosopher. He explored how society shapes human character, freedom, and love, and his books reached a wide international audience. His works include Escape from Freedom, The Art of Loving, and To Have Or To Be?