On Herbert Marcuse’s Way Of Redemption (in Modern Culture) And Its Illumination

As a Jewish Marxist scholar, Herbert Marcuse had an eventful life. Focusing on Marcuse’s critical theories and theoretical background, this thesis discusses the historical context of his theory and further analyses its essential elements.The first chapter gives a general view of the research status of Herbert Marcuse both at home and abroad. Chapter II constructs the theoretical perspective of Marcuse before the 1960s, and illustrates his critical theory on mass culture and technical rationale after the rise of Nazis and his flight to the United States. On this basis, the thesis presents an ideal revolutionary subject that Marcuse was looking for in order to promote a social change which he dreamed of. Chapter III analyses the theoretical motivation which got Marcuse involved in the student movement of United States in the 1960s, and explores the impact of this choice on Marcuse’s theory as well as his life. The rationality and limitations are analyzed in the last chapter, and a further discussion is taken under this circumstance, which might serve as guidance for the culture construction of contemporary China in the future.