A Note on the Aesthetic Dimension in Marcuse's Social Theory

0 REFLECT ONCE MORE on Herbert Marcuse and to think about his relevance for contemporary socialists, is to be struck by two contrasts between his work and the most recent socialist writing. First, there is Marcuse's focus on revolution. Marcuse thought differently at different times about the origins, character, and prospects of revolution, but he never wavered from the view that all understanding derives from a practice that is ultimately revolutionary, that everything else is ideology, and that consequently all problems must be comprehended by reference to their bearing on revolution. Even during his most pessimistic periods, it was the absence or failure or suppression of revolution that was revealed as the most palpable and essential property of things. At other times, the present reality of revolution provided the central theme. A striking feature of such diverse Marxist studies as Bertell Ollman's Alienation and John Holloway and Sol Picciotto's interesting collection of pieces from current German debates about State and Capital is the absence of orientation to revolution: the word is not even in the index. This contrast in starting points and emphases cannot be explained simply by differences in circumstances. A second contrast has to do with the way Marcuse treats theory. Marcuse himself always insisted on the philosophical, rational, and even materialist character of his dialectical method. But reading over the texts, the most striking feature of his writings is their dependence on complex literary strategies, rather than stringent logical development, to advance his case. Especially evident are the prominent place given

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