PHI 121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Eric Fromm, Monroe Doctrine, Necrophilia
Eric Fromm
Author of ‘Anatomy of Human Destructiveness’ (1973)
Holocaust survivor
Believed that humans are predators and violent
Argued that humans emerged at a point in evolution where instinct is
minimal and the need to create nature is an issue
Question : Why did the Holocaust occur? Why is the history of the West linked
to violence? What does it mean to be human?
Life Negative Culture
A life negative culture is characterized by...
Sadism
: Enjoying inflicting pain
Masochism
: Enjoyment of receiving pain
Necrophilia
: Love of death
Concept featured in Harvey Cox’s book ‘Secular City’
Question
: Do we live in a life negative culture? Why? How does a life
negative culture differ from a life affirmative or life neutral culture?
Ethics & Morality
Ethics
: Normative for all humans for all time, human nature
Morality
: (Latin, Mors) Custom or tradition, culture specific
Humanism/Secularism
: Ethics without God
Ethics isn’t possible without a clear definition of human nature, more specific=more
oppressive
Morality is always cultural
Aristotle
“It is not enough to do the right thing, you must do it intentionally. No random
act of goodness is really good.”
Manifest Destiny, Monroe Doctrine, and American Exceptionalism were all used to
justify slavery and genocide.
Western religions believe that the soul is given and can be taken away by God.
Social contract
