One-Dimensional Man

One-Dimensional Man is a work by Herbert Marcuse, first published in 1964.

Related Topics:
Herbert Marcuse - 1964

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It is arguably Marcuse's most important piece of work and remains to this day his most relevant. In it he offers the reader a wide-ranging critique of both contemporary capitalism and the Soviet model of communism, documenting the parallel rise of new forms of social repression (both public and personal) in both these societies as well as the decline of revolutionary potential in the West. He argued 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. The result was a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behaviour in which the very aptitude and ability for critical thinking and oppositional behaviour was withering away.

Related Topics:
Capitalism - Soviet - Communism

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In One-Dimensional Man, Marcuse also analysed the integration of the industrial working class into capitalist society and new forms of capitalist stabilization, thus questioning the Marxian postulates of the revolutionary proletariat and inevitability of capitalist crisis. In contrast to orthodox Marxism, Marcuse championed non-integrated forces of minorities, outsiders, and radical intelligentsia, attempting to nourish oppositional thought and behaviour through promoting radical thinking and opposition. His book was severely criticized by both orthodox Marxists and academic theorists of various political and theoretical commitments. Despite its pessimism, it influenced many in the New Left as it articulated their growing dissatisfaction with both capitalist societies and Soviet communist societies.

Related Topics:
Working class - Marxian - New Left

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Though written during an era radically different from the present day, One-Dimensional Man offers a critique that remains highly original and continues to pose apposite questions in a society that is increasingly becoming one-dimensional in terms of ideology, economics, and culture, most notably whether spontaneity, innovation, and technical advancement can be reconciled with personal liberation and social justice.

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