It is the endless frustration of the liberty-minded that so many in the Western world seem willing, if not eager, to sell their birthright of individual freedom and autonomy for a bowl of lentils.
A short piece titled Freedom? No thanks by Dean at Samizdata quotes Steyn:
A year ago, I wrote that, "The story of the western world since 1945 is that, invited to choose between freedom and government ‘security,' large numbers of people vote to dump freedom — the freedom to make your own decisions about health care, education, property rights, seat belts and a ton of other stuff."
The great psychoanalyst and socio-political thinker Erich Fromm in his politically, psychologically and sociologically brilliant book Escape from Freedom (1941) pondered the human ambivalence towards freedom especially in the context of Fascism, but it applies to any powerful State. He notes that the concept of the "individual," and thus the notion of individual autonomy (ie individual freedom and its responsibilities and risks) arose at the end of Medieval society and was coupled with the Reformation. He asks:
In addition to the problem of the economic and social conditions which have given rise to Fascism, there is a human element which needs to be understood. It is the purpose of this book to analyse those dynamic factors in the character of modern man which made him want to give up freedom and which so widely prevail in millions of our own people.
These are the outstanding questions that arise when we look at the human aspect of freedom, the longing for submission, and the lust for power. What is freedom as a human experience? Is the desire for freedom inherent in human nature? Is it an identical experience regardless of what kind of culture a person lives in, or is it something different depending on the degree of individualism reached in a particular society? Is freedom only the absence of external pressure, or is it also the presence of something and, if so, what? What are the social and economic factors in society that make for the striving for freedom? Can freedom become a burden, too heavy for man to bear, something he tries to escape from? Why is it that freedom is for many a cherished goal and for others a threat?
It's a book that is worth reading, if you haven't. It contains a number of the themes our Dr. Bliss returns to often: the human desire to be taken care of, to regress, to submit to an authority - all in conflict with the desire to define one's own life, to construct one's life, to make one's own choices, to take one's own risks and pursue one's own rewards, whatever those might be.
Photo: Erich Fromm (1900-1980)
Yesterday, The Barrister at Maggie's Farm posted some thoughts about the internal conflict between freedom and security which is so often finds expression in our political life. He quoted Erich Fromm:The great psychoanalyst and socio-political thinker Erich Fromm in his
Tracked: Oct 10, 11:58
Some further thoughts about The Barrister's post Freedom? No Thanks, and a word about Erich Fromm:Freedom is about the relationship of the individual to the State. I think of freedom as being a zero-sum game: either freedom, and the heavy responsibilities
Tracked: Oct 11, 11:06