Erich Fromm (1900-1980), born in Germany, crossed the Atlantic in 1934 to forge a new life in the United States. He left his mark in the 20th century as a renowned psychologist, sociologist, and philosopher. He not only founded humanistic psychoanalysis but also stood as a prominent voice within the Frankfurt School and Western Marxism. Fromm’s intellectual compass always points towards one grand question: the predicament and salvation of the modern man. His penetrating insights into the modern world and the mind of the modern man, coupled with his captivating writing style, transcended the confines of academia, resonating deeply with readers across the Western world. In China, too, his works captivates minds hungry for understanding the complexities of the modern world. Whether in the West or in China, Fromm continues to exert a significant influence on the spiritual lives of modern people.

While personal growth and social development often empower us with independence and autonomy, they also cast a shadow. This march toward self-reliance comes at the cost of increasing alienation – from nature, from others, even from ourselves. The relentless pursuit of success can leave us vulnerable, with setbacks magnified as threats to our very worth. The consequence? A fertile ground for negative emotions like loneliness, helplessness, and the constant gnawing sense of meaninglessness. And so, the question looms: how do we find solace in this modern quandary? Where lies the escape route? Erich Fromm offers profound insights by dissecting the modern man’s attempts to quell these anxieties through the embrace of authoritarianism, nationalism, and consumerism. The fact that these coping mechanisms continue to gain momentum today underscores the prescience and depth of Fromm’s theories.