A Study In Herbert Marcuse's Critical Theory Towards The Capitalist Society

After the World War II, the Western capitalist society entered a new period of high-speed development. The deadline of a capitalist society did not match the date which classical Marxist writers had told, and it looked still lively. Fortunately, the very Western Marxists such as Herbert Marcuse from Frankfurt School penetrated the surface phenomena that it was developed and prosperous when facing these new changes and situations. They pointed out that the advanced industrial society had created a huge material wealth while brought many issues: science and technology as well as over-consumption both had become new methods to control and depress people by the gerentocratic. In such a society, people were being depressed and assimilated. They swiftly lost their negative thoughts and were highly integrated by the society. People only preferred creature comforts to the real means and forms of Man's existence, value, and liberation. Herbert Marcuse pondered and then put forward to his famous idea that is named'Critical Theory'which commented the disadvantages of the Western capitalist society. Firstly, his critical theory began with the philosophical idea construction. He tried to mix existentialism, neo-Hegelianism, Freud's psychoanalysis, etc. to consummate classical Marxism. Secondly, he attempted to reason from such as false need, consumption alienation, Erotic depression out what caused inhibition and the presentations and features of this sick society, and then to disclose and critique the bad. Finally, he tried to seek a guide to human liberation in which he based on'the New Left', used the method named'the Great Refusal', and aimed to liberate human nature. Although Marcuse's'critical theory'mixes advantages and disadvantages, we should admit that he did stably uphold Marxism when criticizing the capitalism. Meanwhile, as a Western Marxist, he had the excellent qualities to take delight in breakthroughs, to dare to face the reality, and to develop Marxism by new contents and forms. These qualities are much more valuable and each Marxist theoretical worker in China had better acquire.