On Marcuse's Theory About The Ideology Of Science And Technology

Herbert·Marcuse is an important representative of the western Marxism. In Western society, in the various theories of science and technology, our attention is worthily attracted by the Marcuse's concept of science and technology. On the one hand, he proposed and systematically expounded a concept of " science and technology is the ideology" , which is the controversy over the basic viewpoints; On the other hand, He helped us to understand the relationship between technology and ideology in the new era, and based on this, it provided us an opportunity to develop and improve the Marxist theory of ideology. Marcuse believed that, contemporary science and technology which as a new form of control is not neutral, it has a clear political intention, and play an ideological function. Marcuse analyzed the impact of contemporary capitalism' s ideology of science and technology in the production areas, the political field, the field of philosophy, cultural fields and areas of life.This paper reference to the Marxist theory of ideology, and re-understand the science and technology, then to evaluate Marcuse's concept of science and technology. On the one hand, after a constant evolution of the ideological concept, the concept from a positive one change to a derogatory term, and then to be used in a neutral and positive level , it changes with the times and constantly changing. Marcuse took the false and deceptive as the essential characteristic of ideology one-sidedly, and asserted that, in advanced capitalist society, science and technology has the utility and effectiveness of ideology. On the other hand, in the eye of Marx, science and technology became a tool for domination is a unique phenomenon in the Capitalist society. He thought that the alienation of the science and technology is inseparable from the use of the capitalist mode of production, and political domination do not link with science and technology necessarily. In summary, Marcus ignored the nature of specific social system, carried the science and technology to the throne of ideology, highlighted the potential negative tendencies, and excluded the positive significance of science and technology.