Erich Fromm vs. Freud: The Roots of Human Aggression and War

In a recent article for Der Freitag, Michael Jäger revisits the 1930s correspondence between Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein on the question of whether humans possess an innate drive to destroy. Freud argued for a death instinct (Thanatos) that turns aggression inward, which the life instinct redirects outward toward others. Erich Fromm vehemently disagreed with Freud's concept of a death drive, offering an alternative explanation for human destructiveness rooted in social and psychological conditions. The article explores Fromm's critique and his view that war is not inevitable but a product of specific societal structures.