On December 10, 2025, the Erich Fromm Study Center invites you to the annual Erich Fromm Lecture.

This year, sociologist Ueli Mäder, professor emeritus at the University of Basel specializing in social inequality and conflict research, will speak on the topic "Soziale Ungleichheit: Vom Antagonismus zur Solidarität - eine Vision".

Abstract: The 2026 Erich Fromm Lecture thematically builds on Fromm’s late work "To Have or To Be", which was published exactly 50 years ago. In it, Fromm analyzes fundamental differences between two ways of being. The way of having is oriented toward property, profit, power, and things, but also toward possessing values or having access to creative technology; the way of being is oriented toward experiences, being active, and a willingness to share. Antagonism, war, and rivalry characterize “having,” while social connectedness, solidarity, and peace characterize “being.” This stereotypical opposition shapes individual and societal dynamics. What matters here is how these dynamics can be transformed—toward a behavior rooted in solidarity that overcomes destructiveness, structures of domination, and (global) hunger.

Following the lecture, we invite you to join us for a discussion and a convivial conclusion with drinks and fingerfood. The event will be held in German at the International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Stromstr. 2, Hörsaal 1. Participation is free of charge. Please register for the event, as soon as we have put up the link here.