To Have Or to Be? is one of the seminal books of the second half of the 20th century. Nothing
less than a manifesto for a new social and psychological revolution to save our threatened
planet this book is a summary of the penetrating thought of Eric Fromm. His thesis is that two
modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode which concentrates on
material possessions power and aggression and is the basis of the universal evils of greed
envy and violence and the being mode which is based on love the pleasure of sharing and in
productive activity. To Have Or to Be? is a brilliant program for socioeconomic change.
