One Dimensional Man

Not disillusioned with the central theme of Marxism, Marcuse attempts to explain the arrested development of post-Marxist revolution, along with totalitarianism of both capitalist and communist systems, production for the sake of production, the sciences infiltrated by totalitarian ideology which leads to catastrophic consequences, the dialectic which portrays man's potential and man's defeat in the face of modern society and the systematic adjustment and tolerance to rebellion against existing society, like Che Guevara designer t-shirts.

I first read this in college, and it is still one of my favorite books, full of perceptive, although not positive insights into western society

By pure chance I found an old, tattered copy of this in a used book shop many years ago. I still recall the bizarre sensation of realizing that someone else, much older than me and way ahead of my own experiences, had expressed so accurately, so vividly, a view of society that I understood, and suspect is resonant among many, but perplexing to articulate in a way that isn't flippantly dismissed outright by those who gauge the intrinsic worth of human existence by a poisoned belief structure's merits. Marcuse's book is a damning examination of the dynamics of 'democratic unfreedom;' technological servitude in the guise of liberty. I remember how the notion struck me, that if such societal/institutional analysis was on target in the early 1960s, just how indoctrinated and delusional must the situation be in our currently perceived time? Precisely. Thankfully there are a few truly aware pockets of critical thought to be found, but by and large, the Few Big easily control the UNcritical masses through a constant barrage of institutional, cultural and media propaganda(entertainment equals indoctrination)and the strategically manufactured 'values' and exhaulted social practices of this UNreality are then impressed upon one person to the other as the herd 'polices' and indoctrinates via familiarity, example and ostrcism, making opposition to greed and superficiality appear absurd, futile. Marcuse discusses artistic alienation, how the inherent properties of truth and protest found in artistic expression were defanged: "The absorbent power of society depletes the artistic dimension by assimilating its antagonistic contents. In the realm of culture, the new totalitarianism manifests itself precisely in a harmonizing pluralism, where the most contradictory works and truths peacefully coexist in indifference. Prior to the advent of this cultural reconciliation, literature and art were essentially alienation, sustaining and protecting the contradiction-the unhappy consciousness of the divided world, the defeated possibilities, the hopes unfulfilled, and the promises betrayed. They were a rational, cognitive force, revealing a dimension of man and nature which was repressed and repelled in reality. Their truth was in the illusion evoked, in the insistence on creating a world in which the terror of life was called up and suspended-mastered by recognition. This is the miracle of the chefd'oeuvre; it is the tragedy, sustained to the last, and the end of tragedy-its impossible solution. To live one's love and hatred, to live that which one *is* means defeat, resignation, and death. The crimes of society, the hell that man has made for man become the actual unconquerable cosmic forces." It's fascinating when observing various societal/cultural trends, tendencies and practices, to go back and see how it corresponds with Marcuse's prophetic warning...and yes, that is meant quite literally: this book is no less prophetic than Orwell's 1984, and what's more, is

Marcuse's most celebrated book has long been surrounded with misconceptions. It is not social science, but a prophetic text which needs to be seen in the context of late 60's radicalism and the emergence of what Guy Debord called the society of the spectacle. Ostensibly a "Marxist", Marcuse was, perhaps, the last left Hegelian, who departs from Marx not just in particular prognoses but basic epistemological tenets. Marcuse's immense popularity on campus led to much resentment, hence the numerous false stories circulating about him by contemporaries ....

This book is the most damning indictment of advanced capitalism ever written. Its author, Herbert Marcuse, was a walking encyclopedia, and probably the most accessible, directly political member of the infamous Frankfurt School. Unlike his brilliant (if personally troubled) colleague Theodor Adorno, Marcuse thankfully does not waste time criticizing things like jazz music and Betty Boop (although he does admit to not seeing any emancipatory possibilities in rock and roll). Moreover, when the Frankfurt school members once toured St. Louis, Marcuse had nothing but scorn for the famous "Arch" of St. Louis, while his younger colleague Jurgen Habermas wanted to go all the way to the top (this obviously reflects different generational sensibilities among German intellectuals). Our good friend Marcuse was also known to wear flannels, smoke cigars, and drink good scotch, all of which he did in a 1960s visit to that hotbed of radical dissent (and my alma mater) Antioch College. While his masterpiece, "One-Dimensional man", is a brilliant synthesis of Marx and Freud that leaves no doubt that we live in a seriously deficient society, it also does not leave much hope for the possibility of any one person or group effecting constructive change. In fact, the only really hopeful note in "One-Dimensional Man" is the fact that the book, like all of Marcuse's other books, is dedicated to his wife Inge, "again and again", which shows that true love can flourish even among the deadening cynicism inevitably brought about by full exposure to the omnipresent conformity of one-dimensional society.