Perceptual Alienation And Emotional Liberation

Freudian Marxism, initiated in1920s-1930s and developed in1950s-1960s, was an ideological trend of the western Marxism. As one of the key representatives, Marcuse created an integrated path on the ontology, and focused on the ontological problem about sensual alienation and sensual liberation, which is the subject matter of my dissertation. The dissertation analyzes and clarifies how Marcuse modified Freudianism and put forward the theory of "Eros Liberation", which in Marcuse’s view, maybe provided a foundation that made the dialogue between Marx and Freud possible. Based on the sensual ontology in Marx’s early manuscripts, the dissertation reflects on Marcuse’s Freudian Marxism, and analyses the differences between Marcuse’s and Marx’s theory on alienation and liberation, and the most importantly the distinction between Marcuse’s and Marx’s position on sensual ontology.The first chapter reviews the philosophical history of repressed sensibility and depicts its forms in the contemporary reality. It comes to a conclusion that there was a close relationship between metaphysics of reason and repressed sensibility, and identifies the Modern Western metaphysics and the principle of capital as the two pillars of modernity.The second chapter discusses Marcuse’s philosophical reinterpretation on Freud’s psychological theory which put forward a famous viewpoint "Civilization repressed human beings’instinct", and the philosophical foundation he put forward by integrating Freud’s theory of instinct into Marx’s thought of sensual alienation on which he sought to promote the communication between Marx and Freud.The third chapter illustrates Marcuse’s theory of "non-repressive civilization and Eros liberation" by analyzing his representative work "Eros and civilization". Marcuse established the Eros liberation on two crucial foundations. On the one hand, the dialectic of civilization provided the material premise for liberation; on the other hand, the changes in aesthetic science created the new forms of consciousness in favor of liberation. Although they all helped to Eros liberation, in the representative work "Eros and civilization", Marcuse attached more importance to the former. So the dissertation analyzes Marcuse’s standpoint about the relationship among social liberation, Eros liberation and labor liberation, and also elucidates the difference between Marcuse and Marx in understanding the dynamic of sensual liberation.The fourth chapter analyzes the new situation of the industrial society where the technological control and the alienation have come to their advanced stages, and the social environment has no longer inspired the internal dynamics of the instinct. That is to say, the dialectics of civilization has lost its effectiveness. By analyzing Marcuse’s later works,"essays on liberation" and "aesthetic dimension", the dissertation points out that in the new situation, Marcuse put forward the theory of the new sensibility and attempted to achieve liberation through the art revolution. This meant Marcuse changed his theory on liberation, and deviated from Marx’s theory of labor liberation.The fifth chapter makes a comprehensive comparison and reflection on Marcuse’s and Marx’s theories of sensual Liberation, tries to find their internal logics in their theories. By comparison, the dissertation points out that there are notable differences concerning the power, object and subject of the liberation and the relationship of the sensual alienation and sensual depression between the two theories of liberation.In the last chapter, the dissertation strives to seek after the deeper bases on which the differences between two theories of liberation can be explained reasonably. The last chapter discovers and illuminates that the deeper bases was the essential difference in their understandings about sensual ontology.In short, although there were important differences between two theories of liberation, Marcuse’s theory of "Eros liberation" provided a new perspective to understand Marx’s theory of sensual liberation for us. In our times, it is still worth reflecting and debating, because it can help us understand modernity and its underlying disease profoundly and is enlighten and significant for the exploration of China’s modernization.