Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Paul Goodman was born on September 20, 1911, in New York City to a Jewish family of Russian immigrants. He is also known by his pen name, Paul Berman.
Birth and Death Dates
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September 20, 1911 - June 5, 1972
Nationality and Profession(s)
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American writer, poet, philosopher, anarchist, psychologist, and social critic. Goodman was a polymath who excelled in various fields, from literature to psychology.
Early Life and Background
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Goodman grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he developed an interest in anarchism and socialism at a young age. He attended Columbia University but dropped out without graduating. Instead, he pursued his passion for writing and became involved with various countercultural movements.
During World War II, Goodman joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was stationed in New Guinea. The experiences he had during this time influenced his future work, particularly in the areas of pacifism and social critique. After the war, he settled in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he lived a communal lifestyle with other artists and writers.
Major Accomplishments
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Goodman's work spanned multiple disciplines, but his most significant contributions were in the fields of literature, philosophy, and psychology. Some of his notable accomplishments include:
Writing several novels, plays, and poetry collections that explored themes of anarchism, pacifism, and individual freedom.
Developing the concept of "anarchism without adjectives," which emphasized the importance of community building and social change through grassroots movements.
Co-founding the journal Evergreen Review, a leading publication for avant-garde literature and art.Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Goodman's notable works include:
Growing Up Absurd (1960), a collection of essays that critiqued modern society and advocated for individual freedom.
Communitas: Means of Livelihood and Ways of Life (1965), a study on communal living and its potential to create more harmonious societies.Impact and Legacy
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Goodman's ideas about anarchism, pacifism, and social change continue to influence contemporary thought. His emphasis on community building, individual freedom, and non-violent resistance has inspired movements such as the counterculture of the 1960s and the anti-globalization movement.
As a writer and thinker, Goodman left an indelible mark on the intellectual landscape of his time. His work continues to be studied and appreciated today for its prescience and relevance to modern issues.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Goodman's quotes are often cited because they capture the essence of his philosophy, which emphasizes individual freedom, community building, and non-violent resistance. Some examples include:
"The only way you can get a good idea is to have lots of ideas."
* "If we want to give peace a chance, we must provide for its conditions."
Goodman's legacy extends beyond his written work; he embodied the principles of anarchism and pacifism through his actions. His commitment to social change and individual freedom continues to inspire people around the world.
Quotes by Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman's insights on:
It rarely adds anything to say, 'In my opinion' - not even modesty. Naturally a sentence is only your opinion; and you are not the Pope.
Be patient, do nothing, cease striving. We find this advice disheartening and therefore unfeasible because we forget it is our own inflexible activity that is structuring the reality. We think that if we do not hustle, nothing will happen and we will pine away. But the reality is probably in motion and after a while we might take part in that motion. But one can’t know.
The Beat spokesman, surprisingly, seemed to be satisfied with the ethics that we have inherited.
For mankind, speech with a capital S is especially meaningful and committing, more than the content communicated. The outcry of the newborn and the sound of the bells are fraught with mystery more than the baby’s woeful face or the venerable tower.
People are forced by their better judgment to ask very basic questions: Is it possible, how is it possible, to have more meaning and honor in work? to put wealth to some real use? to have a high standard of living of whose quality we are not ashamed? to get social justice for those who have been shamefully left out? to have a use of leisure that is not a dismaying waste of a hundred million adults?
Then at once “human nature” is again invoked to prove the necessity of change, for “human nature” has been thwarted or insulted by the dominant system. “Man” can no longer be defined as what suits the dominant system, when the dominant system apparently does not suit men. I.
Let me formulate the artistic disposition as follows: it is reacting with one’s ideal to the flaw in oneself and in the world, and somehow making that reaction formation solid enough in the medium so that it indeed becomes an improved bit of real world for others.
The issue is not whether people are ‘good enough’ for a particular type of society; rather it is a matter of developing the kind of social institutions that are most conducive to expanding the potentialities we have for intelligence, grace, sociability and freedom.
The aim is not to give human beings real goals that warrant belief, and tasks to share in, but to re-establish “belonging,” although this kind of speech and thought is precisely calculated to avoid contact and so makes belonging impossible.
To want a job that exercises a man’s capacities in an enterprise useful to society, is utopian anarcho-syndicalism; it is labor invading the domain of management. No labor leader has entertained such a thought in our generation. Management has the “sole prerogative” to determine the products.