Erich Fromm and the critique of morality

Abstract

From his earliest writings, Erich Fromm displayed an ethical orientation centered on the demands of human emancipation and self-realization. This orientation has its roots in the tradition of Judaism, from which Fromm came, and especially in the prophetic messianism to which he always felt connected. This ethical orientation would be explicitly stated at certain points in his career, presenting itself under the banner of his “humanistic ethics.” This approach was preceded by a critique of morality, which Fromm carried out mainly during the early years of his intellectual production, based on the Freudo-Marxist synthesis to which he devoted all his efforts. Later, in his mature years, beginning in 1941, Fromm further emphasized his independence from this synthesis with The Fear of Freedom: having completed the critique of morality that occupied him so much in his early writings, he then turned his attention to “necessary morality,” which he understood as humanistic ethics. All of this represents a significant evolution and a complicated process that the author of this article attempts to clarify.