Negations: Essays In Critical Theory
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Herbert Marcuse
- ISBN：1906948046
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Summary
Herbert Marcuse's Negations is both a radical critique of capitalist modernity and a model of materialist dialectical thinking。 In a series of essays， originally written in the period stretching from the 1930s to 1960s， Marcuse takes up the presupposed categories that have， and continue to， ground thought and action in our administered society: liberalism， industrialism， individualism， hedonism， aggression。 This book is both a testament to a great thinker and a still vital strand of thought in the comprehension and critique of the modern organized world。 It is essential reading for younger scholars and a radical reminder for those steeped in the tradition of a critical theory of society。 With a brilliance of conception combined with an insistence on the material conditions of thought and action， this book speaks both to the particular contents engaged and to the fundamental grounds of any critique of organized modernity。
Reviews
Katie Bayford
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"Negations needs to be read affirmatively， to draw out connections to today， to other presentstruggles， and to the current crisis。 Affirmatively， which is to say also， and at the same time， through a strategy of negation。"Marcuse is a highly interesting critic， and tackles issues including （but nowhere limited to） Hegelian-Marxism， psychoanalysis， phenomenology， militarisation， false needs， freedom， alienation， and God。 I read it quickly for a deadline， but it would benefit from a slower read。 "Negations needs to be read affirmatively， to draw out connections to today， to other presentstruggles， and to the current crisis。 Affirmatively， which is to say also， and at the same time， through a strategy of negation。"Marcuse is a highly interesting critic， and tackles issues including （but nowhere limited to） Hegelian-Marxism， psychoanalysis， phenomenology， militarisation， false needs， freedom， alienation， and God。 I read it quickly for a deadline， but it would benefit from a slower read。 。。。more
Shafiq Razak Rajan
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In Negations， Marcuse criticizes bourgeois liberalism， philosophy and culture， Weber's concept of value-free science， along with advanced industrial capitalism as being negations that prevent mankind from achieving their full potential。 The 'what is' is regarded as eternal， essential and unchangeable， and the 'what ought' is rubbished as a fantastical utopia。 For Marcuse， such thinking negates human freedom - true human freedom can only be achieved through political action of free and rational b In Negations， Marcuse criticizes bourgeois liberalism， philosophy and culture， Weber's concept of value-free science， along with advanced industrial capitalism as being negations that prevent mankind from achieving their full potential。 The 'what is' is regarded as eternal， essential and unchangeable， and the 'what ought' is rubbished as a fantastical utopia。 For Marcuse， such thinking negates human freedom - true human freedom can only be achieved through political action of free and rational beings。 Marcuse believes that bourgeois liberalism and its philosophy overemphasize the freedom of thought at the expense of other forms of freedom， such as economic and political freedom。 Such thinking made philosophy as nothing more than a plaything of the intellectuals。 The 'depoliticization' of philosophy enables the dominant ideology to be unchallenged， for it is in philosophy that the imagining of a better life can be conceived。 The potent weapon against authoritarian capitalism is silenced。Interestingly， Marcuse equates liberalism and fascism as being the different personalities of the same system: one is overtly permissive （but inherently repressive） and the other one is overtly and inherently authoritarian。 But， both of them masks the capitalistic mechanism that performs its business as usual， despite the change of facade。Also， Marcuse's last essay， "The Aggressiveness of Advanced Industrial Capitalism"， perhaps the most accessible piece in the book， provides a haunting observation of how advanced capitalist societies are increasingly being militarized and desensitized to violence。 The control here to maintain the status quo is more subtle， but no less totalizing and repressive than totalitarian societies。 False needs are cultivated （such as seeking happiness in cheap entertainments or in consuming products） at the expense of real needs （for Marcuse， this means freedom， not being alienated from labour etc）。I do not agree with Marcuse's swift dismissal of God。 For me， this is too simplistic。 Indeed， it is the submission to the human authoritarian figure （or the unnatural， historical mode of living such as capitalism or repressive 'communism'） that made us unable to achieve our full potentialities。 In Islam at least， humans are created to be God's vicegerents on Earth to change the 'what is' to 'what ought'。 From unfreedom to freedom。 From servitude to man to servitude to an Omniscient Being。 It is the post-revelation religious authorities that corrupt this notion until servitude to man and to a Being is being confused as being one and the same， and thus， both is eliminated wholesale in Western philosophy， like the carpet-bombing of a village that is suspected to hide terrorists。 We can indeed move to a better mode of existence without negating our faith。 The Abrahamic religions first arrived for this same mission and it must be continued today。 Apart from the preachy above paragraph， I do find this book enlightening to say the least。 Critical Theory should be tool to analyse our society in imagining a happier and juster society。 The danger is in turning Critical Theory as an end it itself， suffering the similar fate of bourgeois philosophy。 。。。more
Andrew
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In my opinion， this book is Marcuse at his absolute finest。 He's genuinely trying to completely rethink Marxism in the light of Fascism and WW2 and it makes for some powerful and searching turns of thought。 'The affirmative character of culture' and 'On Hedonism' are the definite highlights for me， but the whole thing is great。 In my opinion， this book is Marcuse at his absolute finest。 He's genuinely trying to completely rethink Marxism in the light of Fascism and WW2 and it makes for some powerful and searching turns of thought。 'The affirmative character of culture' and 'On Hedonism' are the definite highlights for me， but the whole thing is great。 。。。more
Robin
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