1Dime Radio The Philosophy of Herbert Marcuse (Ft. Andrew Feenberg)
Andrew Feenberg, philosopher of technology and former student of Herbert Marcuse, guides a deep dive into Marcuse's thought. He unpacks technological rationality, one-dimensional thought, and how consumer society replaces transcendence. Short, clear takes explore dialectics, repression, the New Left, and debates over tolerance and intellectual leadership.
02:11:10
Feenberg's Student Days With Marcuse
- Andrew Feenberg recounts arriving at UC San Diego specifically to study with Herbert Marcuse and arguing about Heidegger's Being and Time with him.
- The relationship began as student debates and later developed into friendship and collaboration.
Technological Rationality Colonizes Everyday Life
- Marcuse's "technological rationality" means everyday life is colonized by scientific, instrumental thinking that erases normative potentialities.
- This removes norms for a better future and hands planning to whoever controls technical organization.
One-Dimensional Thought Blocks Alternatives
- One-dimensional thought excludes potentialities so people cannot imagine alternatives to the existing system.
- Consumer goods replace a 'second dimension' that formerly offered visions of a better world.
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Intro
00:00 • 1min
Feenberg's Background with Marcuse
01:14 • 60sec
Creating a Radical Student Magazine
02:13 • 3min
Feenberg's Scholarly Trajectory
04:58 • 1min
Marcuse's 'Technological Rationality' Defined
06:25 • 1min
Science, Potentiality, and the Loss of Norms
07:28 • 4min
World-as-Given and One-Dimensional Culture
11:16 • 1min
One-Dimensional Thought and the Missing Dimension
12:35 • 2min
Consumer Society Replaces Transcendence
15:00 • 2min
Is Marcuse Outdated? Neoliberal Continuities
16:44 • 3min
Collapse of the Socialist Alternative
20:00 • 3min
The New Left's Legacy and Limits
22:53 • 3min
The Ontological Ground: Hegel and Potentiality
25:43 • 2min
Dialectics: Things as Networks and Becoming
27:53 • 7min
Negative Thinking vs Positive Thinking
35:08 • 3min
Potentials Arise from Relations, Not Essence
38:17 • 2min
Humor and Misreadings of Marcuse
40:34 • 1min
Pragmatism, Positivism, and Marcuse's Critique
41:38 • 9min
Marcuse's View of Scientific Marxism
50:39 • 4min
Teleology, Necessity, and Social Agency
54:52 • 4min
Is There a Revolutionary Subject?
59:11 • 4min
May 1968 and Collective Political Understanding
01:02:54 • 10min
Adorno's Pessimism vs Marcuse's Hope
01:13:19 • 4min
Marcuse's 'New Sensibility' in the New Left
01:17:24 • 2min
Co-optation: New Sensibility Becomes Culture
01:19:37 • 1min
Transforming Consciousness and Democratic Movements
01:21:03 • 4min
Reason, Freedom, and Ontology
01:24:56 • 4min
Marcuse on Intellectuals and Democratic Leadership
01:28:35 • 3min
Vanguardism, Accountability, and Leadership
01:31:24 • 2min
Repressive Tolerance Misread as Anti-Free Speech
01:33:49 • 14min
Public Sphere Propaganda and Limits of Tolerance
01:47:34 • 1min
Marcuse's Use of Freud in Eros and Civilization
01:49:04 • 5min
Surplus Repression and Revolution's Aim
01:54:27 • 5min
Foucault, Reich, and Debates on Repression
01:59:14 • 4min
Marcuse's Ambivalent Relation to Heidegger
02:02:55 • 5min
Moral Response to Heidegger's Nazism
02:07:35 • 3min
Outro
02:10:21 • 39sec
#62840
The Ruthless Critique of Everything Existing
Nature and Revolution in Marcuse's Philosophy of Praxis
Andrew Feenberg
#61519
The philosophy of praxis
Andrew Feenberg
#604
• Mentioned in 49 episodes
Being and time
Martin Heidegger
In 'Being and Time', Heidegger delves into the fundamental question of what it means to 'be'.
The book is divided into two main divisions: the first analyzes the existentials of Dasein, or 'being-in-the-world', while the second grounds these existentials in temporality.
Heidegger introduces key concepts such as 'Dasein', 'Being-with', and the three temporal ecstases (having-been, present, and to-come), emphasizing that Dasein's existence is essentially futural and characterized by its possibilities and projects.
The work challenges traditional philosophical notions of subject and object, instead positing that Dasein is inseparable from its world and historical context.
#5163
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
The One Dimensional Man
Herbert Marcuse
'One-Dimensional Man' by Herbert Marcuse offers a critical analysis of advanced industrial society and its ability to suppress dissent and critical thinking.
Marcuse argues that modern capitalism creates a 'one-dimensional' world where individuals are integrated into the system through consumerism, technology, and mass media.
This integration leads to a loss of individual autonomy and the ability to imagine alternative social arrangements.
The book examines how technological rationality and the pursuit of efficiency serve to reinforce existing power structures.
Marcuse critiques the role of language and communication in perpetuating one-dimensional thought, arguing that critical concepts are flattened and co-opted by the dominant ideology.
Ultimately, 'One-Dimensional Man' is a call for radical social change and the development of new forms of critical consciousness.
#13118
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Counter-Revolution and Revolt
Herbert Marcuse
#5031
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
The history of sexuality
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault's "The History of Sexuality" is a groundbreaking work that challenges traditional understandings of sexuality and its relationship to power.
Foucault argues that sexuality is not a timeless essence but a historically constructed concept, shaped by social and political forces.
He examines the ways in which discourse and institutions have regulated and controlled sexuality, exploring the emergence of concepts like repression and confession.
The book offers a critical analysis of the ways in which sexuality has been used to define and control individuals and populations.
Foucault's work has had a profound impact on the fields of history, sociology, and gender studies, influencing discussions about power, knowledge, and identity.
#1663
• Mentioned in 24 episodes
Dialectic of Enlightenment
Theodor Adorno
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno's "Dialectic of Enlightenment" is a complex and influential work of critical theory, exploring the relationship between reason, myth, and domination.
The authors argue that the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason has paradoxically led to new forms of domination and control.
They trace the development of instrumental reason, which reduces everything to means-ends calculations, and its role in shaping modern society.
The book explores the interplay between reason and myth, arguing that myth is not simply irrational but can also be a source of critical insight.
"Dialectic of Enlightenment" remains a challenging but rewarding read, offering profound insights into the complexities of modernity and the dangers of unchecked rationality.
#28638
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Experience and education
John Dewey
Written in 1938, 'Experience and Education' is a critical examination of educational theories by John Dewey.
Dewey argues that neither traditional nor progressive education is adequate because they lack a carefully developed philosophy of experience.
He emphasizes the importance of experiential learning, interaction, and continuity in educational experiences.
The book highlights the need for educators to create learning situations that are both historical and social, and to integrate everyday experiences into the educational process.
Dewey stresses that education must be based on a sound philosophy of experience to avoid being mis-educative and to promote genuine growth and learning.
#13378
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Dialectics of nature
Friedrich Engels
#4457
• Mentioned in 10 episodes
Eros and Civilization
Herbert Marcuse
In this book, Herbert Marcuse integrates Freud's psychoanalytic theories with Marx's concepts of alienation and oppression to argue that modern capitalism prevents individuals from achieving true freedom.
Marcuse examines the dialectical conflict between the 'life instinct' (Eros) and the 'death instinct' (Thanatos), and he proposes the idea of a 'non-repressive civilization' where the pleasure principle and the reality principle are reconciled.
The book is a critical analysis of Western civilization, challenging the widespread repression of instincts and imagining a utopian society that emphasizes liberation and play.
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In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by Professor Andrew Feenberg, a former student of Herbert Marcuse and an American philosopher of technology and continental philosophy at Simon Fraser University. He is the author of numerous books, such as “The Philosophy Of Praxis: Marx, Lukács And The Frankfurt School” and most recently: “The Ruthless Critique of Everything Existing: Nature and Revolution in Marcuse's Philosophy of Praxis.”
In this podcast, we will be diving deep into the complexities of Herbert Marcuse, his philosophy, politics, his relation to the New Left, and the most misunderstood aspects of thought. This includes his relation to his biggest theoretical influences, namley Marx, Hegel, Freud, and Heidegger. Here, we will be getting into some of the more difficult aspects of Marcuse’s philosophy. But we will start slowly, and it will be worth it.
This podcast aims to complement the recent 1Dime video on the thought of Herbert Marcuse and his book One-Dimensional Man on the 1Dime channel.
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