The Art of Being cover art

The Art of Being

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Art of Being

By: Erich Fromm
Narrated by: Raymond Todd
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $19.99

Buy Now for $19.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

This classic work by psychologist and social philosopher Eric Fromm builds upon his previous popular book To Have or to Be? The Art of Being teaches us to avoid the tantalizing illusions of our consumer-driven world by learning to function as a whole person from a state of inner completeness or being. The transition from an identity of having to being creates a state of enlightened psychological and spiritual happiness.

Fromm observes that the modern person is less a self-reflective being than a composite of data promoted by the mass media, and he encourages us to pursue true self-awareness beyond simple political, ideological, and religious cliches. By learning to be centered in the self, the individual is less swayed by the endless pressures and dissatisfactions of the culture of consumerism.

©1989 Estate of Erich Fromm. Foreword 1992 Rainer Funk (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks
Consciousness & Thought Movements Movements & Methodologies Zen Buddhism Self Enlightenment

Critic Reviews

"Eric Fromm is both a psychologist of penetration and a writer of ability." (Chicago Tribune)

What listeners say about The Art of Being

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

I am what I am

I am what I do

There for I am what I am
Thank u

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narration is terrible

I was enjoying the content of the book somewhat, although I could not continue as the performance was terrible. Got about an hour in but will move on to another book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Hard to listen to today , seems quite smug.

Fromm’s book was probably pretty groundbreaking once. But today points like “Marriages are often unloving shells of relationships” aren’t really clever or countercultural they just sound arrogant (like, way to see through the hype of *checks notes* “finding a lasting relationship”. Today Fromm’s “counterculture” position just reads like some teen Marxist’s Instagram feed….

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.