Lecture

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Herbert Marcuse - One Dimensional Man, Part One:

_Routledge Classics_ Herbert Marcuse - One-Dimensional Man (1964) (2006, Routledge) - libgen.li.pdf

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Herbert Marcuse - One Dimensional Man by Listen Left

One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society is a 1964 book by the Freudo-Marxist philosopher Herbert Marcuse, in which the author offers a wide-ranging critique of both contemporary capitalism and the Communist society of the Soviet Union, documenting the parallel rise of new forms of social repression in both these societies, as well as the decline of revolutionary potential in the West. He argues that "advanced industrial society" created false needs, which integrated individuals into the existing system of production and consumption via mass media, advertising, industrial management, and contemporary modes of thought. This results in a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behavior, in which aptitude and ability for critical thought and oppositional behavior wither away. Against this prevailing climate, Marcuse promotes the "great refusal" (described at length in the book) as the only adequate opposition to all-encompassing methods of control. Much of the book is a defense of "negative thinking" as a disrupting force against the prevailing positivism.

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Synopsis

In Part II of One-Dimensional Man, Herbert Marcuse delves deeper into the concept of one-dimensional thought, examining how technological rationality permeates all aspects of life, leading to a society that prioritizes efficiency and control over human freedom and creativity. Marcuse argues that this rationality shapes not only the economic and political structures but also the cultural and intellectual life, resulting in a population that is largely conformist and resistant to revolutionary change. He critiques the way this rationality absorbs and neutralizes opposition, rendering any potential for true reconciliation or liberation ineffective under the prevailing social order.

Key Terms: Affirmative Culture, Reification, Positivism

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Guiding Questions

1. How does Marcuse define "technological rationality," and what are its implications for individual freedom and social change?
2. In what ways does Marcuse argue that one-dimensional thought has permeated cultural and intellectual life, and how does this affect the possibility of revolutionary consciousness?
3. Marcuse discusses the concept of "reconciliation" in this section. How does he view the prospects for genuine reconciliation within the context of advanced industrial society?