Paul Goodman
American writer and social critic of the 1960s counterculture.
Paul Goodman (September 9, 1911 – August 2, 1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the arts, civil rights, decentralization, democracy, education, media, politics, psychology, technology, urban planning, and war. As a humanist and self-styled man of letters, his works often addressed a common theme of the individual citizen's duties in the larger society, and the responsibility to exercise autonomy, act creatively, and realize one's own human nature.
- born
- September 9, 1911, New York City
- died
- August 2, 1972
- field
- Writer, public intellectual, social critic
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- 1960s social criticism, Growing Up Absurd, Gestalt therapy co-theorist, philosop
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Born to a Jewish family in New York City on September 9, 1911, Goodman was raised by his aunts and sister after his father abandoned the family prior to his birth. He attended City College of New York, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1931, and later received his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1954. As an aspiring writer, he wrote and published poems and fiction, including his first book of poetry (1941) and novel *The Grand Piano* (1942). He took sporadic magazine writing and teaching jobs, several of which he lost for his overt bisexuality and his draft resistance during World War II. Goodman discovered anarchism after reading Peter Kropotkin as an undergraduate and wrote for libertarian journals. He co-wrote the theory behind Gestalt therapy with Fritz Perls and his wife Lore, based on Wilhelm Reich's radical Freudianism, and held psychoanalytic sessions through the 1950s while continuing to write prolifically.
Reader's Guide
Goodman's 1960 book of social criticism, *Growing Up Absurd*, established his importance as a mainstream, antiestablishment cultural theorist. It assured young people they were right to feel disaffected about growing up into a society without meaningful community, spirit, sex, or work. He became known as 'the philosopher of the New Left' and his anarchistic disposition was influential in 1960s counterculture and the free school movement. Despite being the foremost American intellectual of non-Marxist radicalism in his time, his celebrity did not endure far beyond his life. Goodman is remembered for his utopian proposals and principled belief in human potential. His works often addressed a common theme of the individual citizen's duties in the larger society, and the responsibility to exercise autonomy, act creatively, and realize one's own human nature.
Did You Know?
- Goodman's father abandoned the family before he was born, leaving him to be raised mostly by his aunts and sister in New York City's Washington Heights.
- He was forced out of a graduate teaching position at the University of Chicago for 'nonconformist sexual behavior'.
- Goodman co-wrote the theoretical chapter of the 1951 book *Gestalt Therapy* with Fritz Perls and his wife Lore.
- His 1960 book *Growing Up Absurd* became the major book by which 1960s American youth understood themselves.
- Goodman was deferred and rejected from the World War II draft, but advocated for draft resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Paul Goodman?
Paul Goodman was an American writer, public intellectual, and social critic whose most influential work emerged during the 1960s counterculture. He is also recognized as a co-theorist of Gestalt therapy and a key figure associated with the New Left.
What is Paul Goodman best known for?
He is most widely remembered for his 1960s social criticism, especially the book *Growing Up Absurd*, which explored the dislocation felt by young people in modern America. Beyond that single title, he produced a vast body of fiction, poetry, philosophy, and non-fiction across many disciplines.
What subjects did Paul Goodman write about?
Goodman's output covered an unusually wide range, including the arts, civil rights, education, urban planning, media, technology, psychology, and the ethics of war. He also wrote extensively on decentralization, democratic participation, and the responsibilities of the individual citizen within a larger society.
What was Paul Goodman's core philosophical stance?
As a self-described humanist and man of letters, Goodman placed the individual's creative autonomy at the center of his thinking. He argued that realizing one's own human nature was not merely a private project but a civic duty that strengthened the whole community.
When and where was Paul Goodman born, and when did he die?
He was born in New York City on September 9, 1911, and passed away on August 2, 1972. His productive career as a public writer spanned roughly the middle decades of the twentieth century, with his greatest popular impact landing in the 1960s.
More in Philosophers And Logicians 1-24
Elsewhere in the Philosophers And Logicians universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record