Escape from Freedom Paperback – September 15, 1994

著者E. Frommは、「人間は孤立を最も怖れている。自らの意思で積極的な自由を求めていると信じ、自由になればなるほど、孤独感に脅かされ、その恐怖から逃れるため、自由から逃れることを選択する」と言っている。つまり、一方では自由を享受したいという欲求をもちながら、他方では自由から逃げだし何かに頼ろうとする。逃げ出した人々は社会的な集団として、絆がもたらす安心感を失い孤独と不安に直面すると、権威主義的性格を持つようになることを指摘している。彼は、プロテスタンティズムもマゾヒズムもサディズムもナチズム（ファシズム）も心理学的には同じ権威主義的性格によるものだ、と述べている！不安が蔓延している現代に生きる私達 に、自由が欲しいと言う欲望と共に、服従や権威を求める欲求もあるのではないか、「自由のために進む」のか、「自由から逃避する」のか、とE. Frommは問うているのである。是非より多くの方が読むことをお勧めする。

権威主義への屈服は局部的、一時代的なものではない。それはあらゆる人の精神の中に潜んでいる。宗教改革と中世という一つの対立を例にとり、権威主義・全体主義の背後に潜む人間精神の根本的問題－マゾキズムとサディズム－を暴き出す。倒錯が日常化した世界、自然との決別が招いた人間の無意識の苦悩を、自発的生の奨励によって解決に導く。心理学の古典にして、世紀をこえて色褪せぬ不朽の金字塔。J.S.ミルが『言論・思考の自由』の二つめの論拠として挙げた、『死んだ思想の危険性』を思わせる部分も多い。イギリスの作家アラン・ド・ボトンの最新のエッセイ、Status Anxietyとは驚くほど類似点がある。

‘Escape from Freedom’ by Erich Fromm has been said to be one of the ten most important books written in the 20th century. On the face of it, it is as true as it could be, but on second thoughts, this has to be qualified in a delicate way. Although there are all sorts of theme about human nature, the sorts are not infinite, and many novelists, philosophers, psychologists, poets, essayists and the like have written about it for so many years, and therefore the chance is very small that a writer creates an entirely new theme.The idea of ‘Escape from Freedom’ is usually attributed to Fromm, but I think it appears originally in Dostoevsky or Poe, even though it was not so clearly set forth. Nevertheless, it is true that Fromm, by his imagination and his creative faculty, went on from this idea to broach his original views explaining how the idea was applied to the contemporary society. It is a wonderful achievement.We are quite aware that there is pressure to restrain our freedom, but we take it for granted that the pressure comes from the government, authority, management, and so on in visible forms. But how many of us are aware that there is another form of pressure to restrain our freedom, that is, invisible pressure?“It is assumed that authoritarianism does not exist in the more democratic societies. Instead of overt authority, 'anonymous' authority reigns. It is disguised as common sense, science, psychic heath, normality, public opinion. It does not demand anything except the self-evident. It seems to use no pressure but only mild persuasion."According to Fromm, a citizen in a contemporary society willingly adopts entirely the kind of personality offered to him by cultural patterns; and as a result he becomes exactly as all others are and as they expect him to be. It is dangerous that he loses his independence in this way, but even more dangerous is that he doesn’t have the conscious that he is driven to do it by invisible pressure. In fact, he thinks that he is doing it by his choice with his own will. There is no curing a sick man who believes that he is not sick.The idea was not his original creation, but undoubtedly it is to his great credit that he evolved the idea to this extent.