Column: Studying in a room (52)
In the 80s of the last century, Fromm's various works were translated and introduced to the mainland, and in a few years, I read all his works that were translated, and they were like a sponge absorbing water, basically accepting his judgment on the situation of people in Western industrial society. His synthesis of Marxism and Freudian theory, his criticism and outlook on the human condition and prospects, and his criticism of the real existence of modern human beings inspired me to boldly move forward on the single-plank bridge.
After World War II, young people in Western society fell into confusion in their thinking and beliefs. In literary works, works such as Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" are a reflection of this trend of thought. Subsequently, capitalism's ability to repair itself and immunize, the innovation of science and technology, the rapid growth of the economy, the flow of wealth, the pluralism of cultures, the improvement of the quality of life, and the doubling of incomes made Western society intoxicated, thinking that it was really "the end of history". The Frankfurters, on the other hand, soberly pointed out that the alienation of man in the capitalist system is the treatment of man as a commodity, which is anti-human and even more deceptive. "Our moral problem is that man doesn't care about himself," Fromm said. It arises from the fact that we lose our sense of the importance and uniqueness of the individual, that we make ourselves instruments external to our goals, that we experience ourselves as commodities and treat ourselves as commodities, that our own rights are alienated from us. ”
Man regards himself as a commodity, and according to the definition of commodity in Marx's Capital, commodities have a dual nature: exchange value and use value. People experience life only once as a commodity, that is, to constantly increase the value of the commodity, put it on the market, and sell it at a price. Human beings are originally emotionally rich creatures and should have a "noble existence", but in order to obey the needs of the market, they have to shape themselves according to external and unintentional rules. Just like education in the mainland today, who else can say that the government, society, and families do not attach importance to education? Looking at the overwhelming number of teaching aids and the parents who pick up and drop off their babies at the school gates, there is no such educational spectacle in the world. But why are there still so many problems with education? Because today's education deviates from the goal of "people", and the more attention is paid to it, the more it is in the opposite direction. In the investigation and study of man, Fromm stands on the standpoint of Marxism, believing that man is the starting point, and that "the free development of each person is the condition for the free development of all people." Before Fromm, the Communist Manifesto was a fierce critique of the human condition under capitalism: "The bourgeoisie has erased the aura of all professions that have always been respected and revered. It turned doctors, lawyers, clergy, poets, and scholars into wage laborers that it paid for. What is even more tragic is that in the market community where "talent is valuable", doctors, lawyers, and other practitioners have long acquiesced to the rules of commodity exchange, "experiencing themselves as commodities and treating themselves as commodities". The value of a person is measured by "how much is the annual salary" or how much an hour is.
Fromm is a philosopher, sociologist, and psychoanalyst, and his works not only analyze the situation of people in society, but also go deep into the psychology of people, analyze people's mental conditions from the subconscious, synthesize social and psychological factors, and prescribe diseases in modern society. He broke through Freud's limitations, not only analyzed people's anxiety and behavior from the aspect of "sexuality", but also used the enlightenment method of Zen Buddhism to directly point to the heart, so that modern people who are addicted to the illusion of "happiness and happiness" break out in a cold sweat. He said: "Our civilized world offers a variety of tranquilizers that help man not to be aware of this emptiness and loneliness in his consciousness: first, the mechanical work of enterprise and institutional departmentalization, with its strict procedures, makes man unaware of the most fundamental desires of his own human nature, and of the strong demand to transcend himself. Since the only procedure cannot succeed in this, man is passively entertained by the formalization of entertainment, by the sounds and sights provided by the entertainment industry, in order to get rid of his subconscious despair, and in addition to this, man, in order to overcome his loneliness and emptiness, often finds satisfaction by buying fashionable things and quickly replacing them with old ones. ”
Fromm, who lived in the second half of the 20th century, was already aware that technically man was living in the atomic age, but spiritually he was still in the Stone Age. Fromm's vigilance is his vision for the information and Internet era. Today, algorithms are shaping people's lives, and people have been "caught in the net" by numbers. The Internet has brought endless convenience to life, and everyone is enjoying the new achievements of science and technology. However, the lack of faith, the disorder of the program, the rigidity of classes, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the domination of computer language over people have exacerbated the human problems that Fromm is concerned about. The improvement of the natural environment can achieve the desired goal through human efforts. So, what about the environment of the human heart, what about the ecology of the spirit? I am afraid that it is difficult for the whole world to jointly put forward a clear goal, commit to the United Nations, and then take action together.
The twelfth and final chapter of "On the Other Side of the Chains of Fantasy", "The Creed", was read aloud by the time I read it, and regarded it as the "Flåm Manifesto". Despite Fromm's discovery of many problems in Western society and man, in this chapter he is optimistic that "the essence of man can be clarified". In each paragraph of this chapter, he begins with "I believe", indicating his confidence in the future of humanity. His ideological composition and methodology have the wisdom of Eastern philosophy. I read his books and saw his familiarity with Lao Tzu and Zen Buddhism, and knew that he was seeking the fundamental answer of the Eastern sages to "man" and "heart". The fusion of Eastern and Western philosophies, Marxism and Freud's doctrine complemented each other's strengths, resulting in Fromm's system of thought.
Read Fromm, know yourself, and know the society that exists. Always keep a clear head, find yourself, return to your true self, look coldly to the ocean, avoid deception, brush away the dust, and the heart is like a mirror.
Wei Jianmin: Editor and reviewer of the Development Research Center of the State Council, author of essay collections "Looking for Danfeng Pavilion" and "Chen Gu Collection".