Herbert Marcuse: Critical Analysis Of Capitalist Society And False Needs

Background and Introduction

Discuss about the Marcuses on One-Dimensionality of Modern Society for Psychology.

Herbert Marcuse was a German-American sociologist, philosopher and a political theorist and was associated with the Frankfrut School of Critical Theory. He presented his works on the critical analysis of the capitalist society and strongly criticized the theories of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Marcuse mainly criticises the psychological drives that Freud states to be mechanical in nature. The book “One-Dimensional Man” which was first published in the year 1964 is one of the significant and best-known works of Marcuse. He goes on to argue that the modern and advanced societies create such needs, which are false that forces individuals to consume the products (Abromeit & Cobb, 2014). The theory of Marcuse is very relevant in the present situation of the society. Marcuse’s concept of “false needs” is the main component of the society. Almost all the people of the modern society are influenced and driven by the advancement of the technology and are mostly in need to fulfil their growing needs. These needs and the technological changes are a new means to control the society.

The thought that the Frankfurt School adopted was shaped by some historical events that took place in Europe at that time. Firstly, it was due to the failure of the movement led by the working class in Europe as defined by Marx. Secondly, it developed due to the rise of Nazism and thirdly, due to the expansive nature of capitalism that gave rise to the new forms of production (Tyson, 2014). He observed that the previous form of societies was very less accessible to the modern forms of technology.  The productive process was very poor as compared to the modern societies and violence was the only way to establish control and dominate the people. He states that in comparison to the previous forms of society, the modern society is more advanced technologically as well as logically. Due to the advent of modern technologies, the process of production has also improved (Kellner 2014). Modern form of societies has the capacity to provide all forms of people ranging from unskilled labour to highly skilled managers. Marcuse had described any forms of manufactured ideas as “false needs” (Marcuse, 1964, pg 4). These needs are created by the means of advertising and mass production of the goods and services.  Marcuse states this form of society as materialistic cultural society. He is of the view that the materialistic culture would be making the consumer goods a means of social control. According to Marcuse, a one-dimensional society is created when the society is totally dependent on the technological changes and is dominated by it.  He goes on to argue that when mass of people in a society are given an option and freedom to choose, it is not the freedom of the masses but it is the ‘unfreedom’ in which the people actually have to live. It is so because the consumers would be acting irrationally and the workers have to work for more hours so that the needs are fulfilled.

Marcuse's Critique of Society

Marcuse opposes the theory of psychoanalysis stated by Freud. He argues that the function of psychoanalysis has changed in the modern society that is dominated by advanced technology. He goes on to argue that satisfying the needs of individuals and the development of the society and civilization is in inversely relation to each other. Freud is of the view that work is the main component in the life of an individual. Freud states that individual live together and interact in the society for the need of money (Jung, 2014). Marcuse opposes the idea of Freud and defines that the development of civilization as progression of the work of the individuals which is necessary in order to upgrade his or her status in the society. It is necessary to provide a proper and safe environment for treating individuals who acts abnormally, which the modern and advanced society lack (Bernstien 2014). People have come to know and can clearly recognize the narrow-mindedness and the meanness of the statecraft that are emerging.  The feelings of intolerance, shame, alienation and discrediting of oneself are introduced by the new politics. In order to find a way out of these problems, individuals need to adopt a new form of tolerance that is capable of including more people and expanding itself. Marcuse provides a clear description of the “sick society” (Marcuse, 1967 pp 65). He states that when the relationship between the basic institutions of the society are not capable enough for developing the society and satisfying the needs of the individuals. The new models of the work structure of the advanced society provides new models of working systems as well as leisure, affecting the relationship between each other and introduce new norms and values in the society.

Most of the critics are of the view that the works of Marcuse lacks ethical considerations. This is because the works of Marcuse mainly focuses on the righteous acts of the individuals and only the book “One –Dimensional Man” focuses on the reality of the society. Marcuse argues that an individual should not have the freedom to think when he or she is caught in “repressive desublimation” (Marcuse, 1967 pp 75). The reversal of the idea as stated by Freud that people are able to grasp the unjust realities with the help of self consciousness is highly opposed by the ideas of Marcuse. As there is growth in the wealth, the working hours of the organizations, the pension policies and the rate of unemployment are also regulated. Marcuse defines that the process is uninterrupted by constant flow of goods, ideas, desire and services.  He goes on to argue that in the absence of freedom, the morals and ethics would have no place in the life of a person as well as in the society. The next step Marcuse had defined after analyzing the society as the base of practicing the ethics, is by pointing out that ethics need to be in the political sphere also as it is in the academic and personal sphere. Here, he states, the person and the society overlap with each other. Marcuse does not believe in abolishment of the democratic rule of the society.  He is of the view that the repressiveness should be removed from the society as well as from the minds of the individuals. The positiveness that seems possible to Marcuse is by giving a chance to the individuals in the society to adopt the most advanced form of consciousness as well as the pressure of the society. Both Adorno and Marcuse agrees on the fact that every individual posses unique psychological traits. Even some are related and possessed by only one person and at such moment it becomes difficult to compare one person from the other.

Marcuse's concept of 'False Needs'

Many scholars are of the belief that Marcuse’s theory is of convincing nature. Marcuse was of the belief that a society which is technologically mature would probably involve in recognizing the society. The major criticism in the works of Marcuse is that in his book “One-Dimensional Man”, he wrote on the future perception on the arise and introduction of radical struggles and the protests of the 1960s. It was the movement which had an aim to destroy the dominant systems prevalent in the society. The recognizing of the society does not suggest leaving the society into the hands of the technology; rather it includes the identification of the self as the pert of the society. Marcuse argues that the advanced and technological has been way of production of goods, ideas and services is one of the many possible conditions that the society has adopted. The fact that Marcuse considered was that the new and advanced technology and sciences adopted by the modern society was controlled by the production of the goods and services (Gandler 2014). Marcuse considers society as historical and social projects as it can be determined how a society and the interests of the society are intending to deal with the individuals and the resources available.  Marcuse does not accept the apparent changes that are introduced in the society by the advanced technology.  Marcuse’s theory has not been accepted by many scholars even in the Frankfurt School. Other critical theorists such as Theodor W. Adorno and Walter Benjamin dealt more with the cultural questions rather than the political questions. Marcuse addressed the crisis in the theory of the Karl Marx in such a way that was not necessary. Even the theory of Marcuse seemed to be problematic. This was so because no one better then Daniel Cohn-Bendit who could define the effect of the New Left on the society. He did not accept the theory of individuals as stated by Freud. While Freud was of the opinion that the conscious as well as the unconscious mind plays an important role in the minds of individuals and their behaviour, Marcuse was of the view that the individual’s psychology is controlled by the needs that are created by the modern technology (Clark 2017).

Marcuse was not against scientific development but was against the development and the changes brought about by the advanced technology. Marcuse did not always refer to the nature but criticized the characteristics of individuals as defined by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Though he tried to distinguish the concepts of human from the external nature, most of the time he combined both the terms together. Unlike Adorno and Horkeimer, Marcuse never lost his views from the revolutionary ideology. He went on to insist on the technological and historical prospects of liberating the individuals though there are no movement associated with it. He believed that the idea of Marx was not radical in nature. Marcuse not only criticized the political nature and culture of the society, he also accepted the fact of intellectual authority. 

References

Abromeit, J. and Cobb, W.M. eds., 2014. Herbert Marcuse: A critical reader. Routledge.

Bernstein, J.M., 2014. Recovering ethical life: Jurgen Habermas and the future of critical theory. Routledge.

Clark, J., 2017. A New Marcusean Moment? A Review of Eros and Revolution: The Critical Philosophy of Herbert Marcuse. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 28(4), pp.111-117.

Gandler, S., 2014. Society and State in Marcuse and Hegel. Philosophy Study, 4(1).

Jung, C.G., 2014. The Collected Works of. In Psychology and alchemy (pp. 609-617). Routledge.

Kellner, D., 2014. Marcuse and the quest for radical subjectivity. In Herbert Marcuse (pp. 93-111). Routledge.

Marcuse, H., 1964. One-dimensional man: Studies in the ideology of advanced industrial society. Routledge.

Marcuse, H., 1967. Aggressiveness in advanced industrial society. Negations: Essays in critical theory, pp.248-268.

Tyson, L., 2014. Critical theory today: A user-friendly guide. Routledge.