One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society 2nd Edition by Herbert Marcuse (PDF)

Description

Originally published in 1964, One-Dimensional Man quickly became one of the most important texts in the ensuing decade of radical political change. This second edition, newly introduced by Marcuse scholar Douglas Kellner, presents Marcuse’s best-selling work to another generation of readers in the context of contemporary events.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐No one can accuse Herbert Marcuse of under-thinking.I bought this book based on assertions that it was a still-relevant critique of advanced capitalist US society. What I got was a brilliant (if erratic) explicitly Marxist critique of advanced society, both East and West, from the vantage point of the early 1960s. I have to give credit to Marcuse for the accuracy of his prophesies. Certainly his batting average is above .500. But, cultural criticism is not baseball.I feel like too much of his critique rests on an unrealistic idea: that physical labor can, and should, be done away with. This assumption seems to have been fueled by the Marxist belief in the inevitability of the collapse of advanced Western Capitalism, following which capitalism would be replaced by a worker’s paradise of unspecified administration. Some 300 years on, this repeal and replace is nowhere in sight. Indeed, Eastern nations are getting more capitalist all the time, de facto if not de jure.Despite that, I really enjoyed how he burrowed into the differences between Greek ideas of dialectic truth (exemplified by the dialogues of Plato) and so-called “one-dimensional” truth which can be traced to Aristotelian rationality. Frankly, I didn’t understand all of his argument. He presents a punishing series of intricate arguments in the middle of the book. I emerged from this experience bruised and bewildered, yet grateful for the education, because the constantly shifting terrain (from the vantage point of either one-dimensional thought or two-dimensional thought) certainly does point up the paradoxes and contradictions that reality consists of.But, that’s just the trouble. We need to live our lives and make a living, and we need to do so according to our human nature. I’m not clear on Marcuse’s final word on what that nature is. Marcuse seems to reject rationality itself, on the grounds that believing in that rationality means that we are also accepting domination – the pre-eminent place that rationality has held in Western culture since the Enlightenment. But on the other hand, the alternative – the typical end of a Platonic dialogue – is bafflement. Nothing has been proven, though the players have rounded all the bases – we’re right back where we started, with Socratic ignorance. So, which is better: should we accept the certainty of rationality, including its defects; or should we accept dialectic uncertainty, with its own share of defects? Beats me.In conclusion, this is an excellent book and deserves respect and attention for its place in intellectual history, if not sustained study. Mortimer Adler insisted that we can’t criticize a book until we fully understand it. That may be true for professional readers in the fields of philosophy, sociology and economics. However, as a general reader I’m just not going to put myself through the exercise. That said, I will keep this book, with many underlined passages, on my bookshelf.

⭐While some Frankfurt School critical texts failed to accurately model the experience of our times (Habermas’ Transformation of the Public Sphere, for instance, predicted a decreased role of the public sphere in political decision making – a prediction ultimately undermined by the advent of the internet), Marcuse One-Dimensional Man remains a compelling and frighteningly accurate analysis, especially in the wake of the Trump election. Indeed, as many bemoan that the public sphere seems to be ignoring reported facts in voting, Marcuse already wrote up an explanation for how the reality of the system replaces objective reality, and how individuals indoctrinate themselves without their knowing it. Although the fear of mutually assured destruction has been replaced with the fear of terrorism and the “Eastern” Marxist dictatorships that Marcuse gives equal criticism to (alongside the Western capitalist society that still remains much as it was) no longer exist, or have at least adopted many of the hallmarks of capitalist society, the core of Marcuse’s argument remains compelling and instantly recognizable in our own times. He also recognizes the issues of increased technological development and reliance on disposable consumer goods that have only become more noticeable since the book was written. Furthermore, because these fundamental issues are so recognizable in our society, the work remains compelling and fascinating, especially compared to most critical theory works, which can lose the reader’s interest in abstract details.

⭐I’ve been wanting this book for a while. It is in great condition

⭐Marcuse championed Critical Theory and “One Dimensional Man” articulates it’s conceptual foundation. It is a bit of a slog to grasp however he does repeatedly provide examples that more clearly illustrate the core of the theory. I recommend viewing some lectures offered on YouTube to supplement and reinforce your grasp of the subject.

⭐In condizioni perfette è arrivato con 20gg di anticipo sulla consegna prevista. Considerato che è anche difficile da trovare e con pezzi limitati direi mooolto bene!Une analyse horriblement juste de la manière dont les humains sont transformés en pantins ridicules et creux par notre culture débile.for the price, great condition considering the age; essential and still relevant ideas about the forces that shape and direct a bankrupt civilisation

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