Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979)
Marcuse left Germany in 1933, worked for the U.S. government during the war, and then turned his attention to the society that had welcomed him. What he saw disturbed him. One-Dimensional Man, published in 1964, argued that consumer capitalism doesn't oppress people through force but through satisfaction. It gives us enough comfort to stop asking uncomfortable questions. The book found its audience among students who sensed something was wrong but couldn't name it.
Concepts
alienation, authenticity, conformity, freedom, oppression, rebellion
Quotes (6)