The Critical Spirit of Herbert Marcuse

Herbert Marcuse's last public address was delivered in Frankfurt on May 17, 1979. He spoke at the Romergespriche, an annual symposium sponsored by the city of Frankfurt. This year the theme of the Romergespraiche was the social and political implications of scientific and technological progress. The vigor with which he spoke, the absence of the slightest hint of political resignation, and his openness to the political and cultural currents of the last decade-and-a-half made it apparent that we were listening to a great old man whose critical spirit remained young. The talk was quintessential Marcuse a distillation of themes he had developed since the 1930s combined with a spirited defense of the New Left, feminism and ecological concerns. Just as Marcuse insisted that the oft pronounced collapse of the New Left was a case of conservative wishful thinking, so it should be said now that the oft mentioned obsolescence of the philosopher of one-dimensional society and of its oppositional forces is nonsense. The greatest tribute we can render to Marcuse is to read him again, to develop his thought further, and to remember how very important Marcusian ideas are for us today. In the following remarks, I want to touch on some of the themes Marcuse mentioned in his last public address and in his speeches and interviews of the last several years. In particular, I will refer to his comments on the historical significance of the New Left, and on technology and the domination of nature

Critical theory · Epistemology · Psychoanalysis · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Philosophy · Psychology

• A Radical in Academe

  Stephen J Whitfield•Journal for the Study of Radicalism•2015

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