Is there room for otherness in humanism? Erich Fromm's alternative
Abstract
Humanism has been criticized as a philosophical and political stance from different points of view in recent decades. The paper summarizes four common types of criticism, stemming from political, ethical, technological, and ecological concerns. These criticisms relate back to a preoccupation with the respect for otherness or difference, either toward human or non-human beings. The paper tries to demonstrate that these concerns are also to be found as essential elements in the development of humanism itself, not only among its political and theoretical opponents. It does so with reference to Erich Fromm’s works, where a life-oriented ethics is coupled with a demand for sustained political relatedness to difference, without giving up notions of a radical humanism and the anthropology that accompanies it.
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Renewed Fromm scholarship clarifies the meaning of humanism and the dynamics of social character, but it has not yet been systematically connected to contemporary peace psychology or to the specific socio-technical architectures that now mediate violence and political life.
“Conversely, renewed Fromm scholarship clarifies the meaning of humanism and the dynamics of social character, but it has not yet been systematically connected to contemporary peace psychology or to the specific socio-technical architectures—algorithmic feeds, autonomous weapons, immersive media, and pervasive surveillance—that now mediate violence and political life.”
From Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology (2026) · cites this paper as Romanetto, 2024
Contemporary work reconsiders the ethical and psychological grounds of Fromm's humanism, his attention to otherness, and the cultural conditions that shape character and consciousness.
“Contemporary work reconsiders the ethical and psychological grounds of Fromm’s humanism, his attention to otherness, and the cultural conditions that shape character and consciousness (Layton, 2024; Romanetto, 2024; Cortina, 2024; Buechler, 2024; Over, 2021).”
From Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology (2026) · cites this paper as Romanetto, 2024
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Toward a humanized technology: a reinterpretation of Erich Fromm’ s humanistic peace psychology
Wang, Y., Li, P., & Liu, W. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1646601 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Romanetto, M. C.
- Corresponding author
- Romanetto, Matheus Capovilla
- Venue
- Psychoanalytic Inquiry
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2024-01-02
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 71-84
- ISSN
- 0735-1690 (ISSN-L)
- 1940-9133
- OpenAlex
- W4391789002
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2
- FWCI
- 2.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoanalytic Inquiry (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Erich Fromm Stiftung
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Psychoanalysis and Social Critique
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophy and Historical Thought
- Keywords
- humanism, Erich Fromm, otherness, difference, radical humanism, critique of humanism, non-human beings
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