From the Bookshelf of Philosophy…

One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society

Herbert Marcuse,

Douglas Kellner (Introduction)

Why we're reading this: Has technology advanced to the point that it imposes a kind of totalitarianism independently of any polit…more
[close] Has technology advanced to the point that it imposes a kind of totalitarianism independently of any political system? The persuasive and insightful observations in this unique book point to managed and manufactured human reality nearly impossible to stand apart from.

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Nov 30, 2008 Tyler rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy

Here's an interesting thought: Every technologically advanced society operates on a de facto ideology stemming from the technology itself, regardless of its particular political system. When television or the Internet replace newspapers, for instance, as the means by which an individual interacts with society, the concomitant replacement of words by images takes on an unforeseen brainwashing quality. This is the odd progression looked at in One-Dimensional Man, and Herbert Marcuse’s investigatio Here's an interesting thought: Every technologically advanced society operates on a de facto ideology stemming from the technology itself, regardless of its particular political system. When television or the Internet replace newspapers, for instance, as the means by which an individual interacts with society, the concomitant replacement of words by images takes on an unforeseen brainwashing quality. This is the odd progression looked at in One-Dimensional Man, and Herbert Marcuse’s investigation leaves the reader with an altered perspective, enlightened and disturbed at the same time.

The book tackles in two parts the Orwellian quality of advanced technology, one part looking at the kind of society technology brings forth, and the other explaining the kind of thinking this society engenders. As a philosophy work, it requires a rudimentary knowledge of that subject. From there, I came across enough original thinking to keep my highlighter busy throughout the read.

The nature of one-dimensional society I vaguely suspected, and Marcuse filled in the details. Modern society has gutted Enlightenment ideas, such as the right to dissent, and hollowed out concepts such as “democracy,” leaving the terms intact while eviscerating the meanings. The book shows how it is then possible to manufacture an everyday reality for ordinary people.

One example is that the pre-industrial "battle for existence" humans once faced has long been obviated by technology, so the misery and distress found in modern societies is in fact artificially contrived. Why? Because modern economics needs the threat of destitution and insecurity to function. But paradoxically, one-dimensional society is far more passive in its contrived reality than previous societies. With the institutions of modern society now geared toward dissipating serious dissent, no real social change will ever be possible using the means available within that society. Wow.

The section on “one-dimensional thinking” contained even greater surprises. With the media entrapping society in a permanent present, people cannot achieve the historical perspective necessary to make judgments critical of the status quo. The author goes into some depth about “universal” concepts, concepts of quality which, in one-dimensional society, are stripped of their actual importance. How is this stripping done? Using linguistic analysis and even logical positivism, that’s how. What a cogent, provocative argument Marcuse presses on this point, and what a persuasive one. Never had I thought of linguistic analysis as actually impeding the ability to think, especially since its goal has been to improve the use of language.

The author takes up many philosophical questions connected to one-dimensional thinking: dialectical versus formal logic; quality versus quantity; Plato versus Aristotle; the immediate versus the ends. Because the author takes care with his conclusions, the book is filled with more ideas than just these. But the examples, I expect, will give potential readers an idea of the original work to be found here.

First published in the sixties, this book’s theme has proven more durable with each passing year, and its relevance is far more obvious now than when it first came out. I recommend it to anyone who likes reading philosophy or is interested in the social sciences, people who like to consider novel and challenging ideas. ...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Anthony rated it it was amazing

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction, x-german

Great to read! Very usefull today as much as when it was written. So precisely shows you how certain aspects of society frame your thinking. Especially how the advertising industry tries to form what see as desirable. One of the best books I have ever read!

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