Research On Marcuse’s Theory Of Human Emancipation

Herbert Marcuse was a German-American philosopher and social theoristand the main representative of Frankfurt School. His theory has a directinfluence on student rebel movemen that swept across the West in the1960sand1970s. So he became the spiritual leader of student movement. Marx,Mao Zedong and he are so called the "three M ". Marcuse also inheritedMarx’s thought in a certain extent. How to liberate people from the developedcapitalist society as his goals and theoretical purport.This paper is divided into four parts. The first part which takes Marcuse’swritings as a clue briefly reviews the formation of his theory of humanemancipation. His early theory affected by Heidegger and Husserl. He tried tosynthesize Existentialism and Marxism. Then he saw Marx and Hagel contact.He revealed the root of Marx’s philosophy of Hagel. After the end of World WarII, when he saw the rationalism helpless to solve social problems, he began totry to establish his own theoretical system. He used the Freud doctrine tomodify Marxism. He put forward the famous Eros liberation and single peoplethought. In his later years, he shifted to the eyes of the aesthetics. He went tothe art aesthetic seeking the real human emancipation.The second part expounds the main contents of Marcuse’s theory ofhuman emancipation. His theory of human emancipation is established basedon the profound analysis to the developed industrial society. He made humannature to redefine that Eros. Human emancipation is through the sub classstruggle and total revolution way to set up the non-repressive civilization.Finally he put the art aesthetic as a necessary complement to humanemancipation and the final destination.The third part of Marcuse’s theory of human emancipation are analyzed.On the one hand, this theory has inherited Marx’s critique thought. It highlightsthe importance of aesthetic and art in the liberation and emphasize theliberation of nature for human emancipation possible. On the other hand, the definition of Marcuse to human nature and the choice revolutionary subjectand revolutionary road had limitations.The fourth part discusses Marcuse’s theory of human emancipation whichhave important implications for China’s modernization construction. It remindsus to pay attention to the cultivation of critical thinking and prevent one-sideddevelopment of science and technology and to strengthen the construction ofculture, especially for people’s spiritual home care and so on.