"What is freedom as a human experence? Is the desire for freedom something inherent in nature? ... Is freedom the absence of external pressure or is it also the presence of something - and if so, what? ... Can freedom become a burden, too heavy for man to bear, something he tries to escape from?"
Fromm distinguishes between "freedom from" and "freedom to." The former refers to the process of becoming emancipated from the restrictions placed on humanity by other people or institutions. This has often been fought for historically but is not of much inherent value unless accompanied by a creative element, "freedom to"; the use of freedom to behave in ways which are constructive and respond to the genuine needs and wants of the free individual/society by creating a new system of social order. In the process of becoming emancipated from an overbearing authority or set of values, Fromm argues, we are left with feelings of emptiness and anxiety (he likens this process to the individuation of infants in the normal course of child development) that will not abate until we use our "freedom to" and develop some form of replacement of the old order.
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