The Sane Society

Erich Fromm's The Sane Societ delivers one of the most piercing critiques of modern mental health, arguing that the very fabric of contemporary life, especially under capitalism, is driving us mad. With surgical precision, Fromm dissects the psychological cost of a system that prioritises profit over purpose, leaving individuals alienated, anxious, and spiritually adrift.

Fromm's central thesis is blunt yet compelling: if you are employed in a capitalist society, you are more likely to suffer mental distress, not because you work, but because your work is devoid of meaning. You're not shaping your destiny; you're a cog in a machine controlled by bosses, corporations, governments, and societal expectations. The primitive man, Fromm suggests, may have had fewer comforts, but he had more agency—and with it, a more stable psyche.

In the end, The Sane Society is not just a psychological diagnosis but a philosophical wake-up call. It contends that capitalism, far from being the guarantor of freedom and well-being, might be the root cause of widespread mental illness. Fromm dares us to rethink sanity not as conformity to a sick society, but as a reclaiming of our autonomy, creativity, and shared humanity.