This classic work by psychologist and social philosopher Eric Fromm builds upon his previous popular book To Have or to Be? The Art of Being teaches us to avoid the tantalizing illusions of our consumer-driven world by learning to function as a whole person from a state of inner completeness or being. The transition from an identity of having to being creates a state of enlightened psychological and spiritual happiness. Fromm observes that the modern person is less a self-reflective being than a composite of data promoted by the mass media, and he encourages us to pursue true self-awareness beyond simple political, ideological, and religious clichés. By learning to be centered in the self, the individual is less swayed by the endless pressures and dissatisfactions of the culture of consumerism.

Erich Fromm was a German-born psychoanalyst and social philosopher who explored the interaction between psychology and society. He was the author of To Have Or to Be?, The Art of Loving, The Sane Society, On Being Human, The Art of Listening, Marx’s Concept of Man and many other classic works. He died in 1980.