Fromm's Disobedience

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Disobedience It was 1963, the world was still in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis and what could have been the next world war, and Erich Fromm has released “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Fromm suggests that all of humanity may end in 5-10 years. While society has progressed to the Atomic Age -with math, astronomy, and natural science fields flourishing, politics and society remain, emotionally, in the Stone Age. New thoughts that disobeyed authorities or long established opinions are muzzled, and change is disregarded as nonsense. Fromm, who is largely influenced by forward thinkers such as Freud and Marx as well as French existentialists, introduces his views on obedience. He points out that, thus far, people have solely been taught to obey, which has led them off track and into their imminent doom. To steer people down the right path, Fromm gives a few examples of how the act of disobedience has shown to be a virtue rather than a vice and why the very act of disobeying may be humanity’s only saving grace. Fromm references Greek Mythology. Specifically the story of Prometheus, who stole fire from Olympus and shared it with humanity, allowing them to grow and develop. With this act of disobedience, human history began, and Prometheus was content with his choice although he knew he would be punished. Another example Fromm gives is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of Good and Evil, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. It was with this act that they shed their prehumen-ity, gained freedom and responsibility as individuals, and began human history. These two examples that Fromm details, show how disobedience may not always be a vice, but rather a virtue. Fromm goes on to elaborate on the different types of obedience and when disobeying is morally
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