Escaping Alienation : A Philosophy of Alienation and Dealienation

Escaping Alienation is a work of philosophical anthropology providing a theory of alienation and its opposite, dealienation. What it means to be human is answered from diverse perspectives provided by naturalism, pragmatism, existentialism, psychoanalysis and social psychology. A general concept of negativity is the theoretical core of this philosophy expressed by thinkers ranging from Parmenides to Hegel, Heidegger and Freud. The question of the meaning of being is answered existentially by a self-realizing humanity. Yet, an essential human nature is recognized reflecting a naturalistic perspective. The implications of a being composed of needs, desires, rationality and freedom are drawn out to exhibit the universal significance of alienation and dealienation. An integration of freedom with rationality suggests a prescription for dealienation concluding the treatise.