Erich Fromm: How to Become a Loving Person #108

What keeps us from finding happiness in love?

Welcome again to Daily Philosophy and our experiment of trying to learn from philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm (1900-1980) how to live better, happier lives! Last time we got an overview of Fromm’s book “The Art of Loving” – today, we want to see how we can actually use Fromm’s theory in order to transform our own love lives.

Why do we need love?

Love is perhaps the most powerful force that shapes both our history and the tales we tell. The historical love affair of Antony and Cleopatra sealed the fate of Egypt as a province of ancient Rome. The love between the priest Abelard and his student Heloise shocked the Middle Ages just as the affair between Bill Clinton and Miss Lewinsky or Prince Charles and Camilla did in our times.