Marcuse’s Theory Of Alienation And Its Contemporary Value

Herbert Marcuse(1898-1979),the main representative of Western Marxism and an important member of the Frankfurt School,devoted his life to the development of Marxism.The core of his social critical theory was the investigation and study of alienation.Marcuse’s theory of alienation has a strong humanistic color,always attaches importance to human freedom and development,emphasizes the development of human subjectivity,and regards the realization of human liberation as the theoretical purport,which contains deep humanistic concern.The study of Marcuse’s alienation theory can further grasp the contemporary value of Marcuse’s alienation theory from the perspective of world history.Marcuse’s alienation theory was born in the "developed industrial society".Hegel’s externalization theory and dialectics,Marx’s alienation theory and Lukacs’ materialization theory are the direct theoretical sources of Marcuse’s alienation theory.In addition,Heidegger’s existentialism and Freud’s psychoanalysis are also important ideological bases of Marcuse’s theory of alienation,and play an important role in the formation of Marcuse’s theory of alienation.This theory carefully examines the new characteristics of individuals,society,ecological environment and other aspects in the developed capitalist society,and finds out the objective fact that human beings are completely alienated in this society.Through systematic analysis and research,he believes that the rule of technological rationality is the root of alienation.Technocracy assimilates people’s life style,dispels people’s negative orientation,and the society achieves the purpose of maintaining the existing ruling order.Marcuse tried to find a way out of alienation,reconstruct reason and realize human freedom and liberation.And to achieve this goal,we need to carry out a general revolution.Different from Marx’s revolutionary theory,Marcuse did not advocate violent revolution,relying not on the working class,but on the "new left" and civil disobedience.Theoretically,Marcuse’s theory of alienation inherits and carries forward the critical spirit of Marxism.It not only deepens people’s understanding of capitalist society,but also enriches the social critical theory of Frankfurt School,promotes the development of ecological Marxism,and is a significant development of Marxism.From the reality,in the world,there are many countries that have entered into modernization are going through or will go through the stage that Marcuse is going through,and are facing or will face the problems that Marcuse is facing.Marcuse’s alienation theory has a strong alerting effect and reference significance for the modernization construction of these countries.Any idea is the product of The Times,so it must have its historical limitations.Marcuse’s theory of alienation also has its limitations.It exaggerates the individual initiative and does not realize that the problem of alienation is the contradiction between the economic foundation and the superstructure in the final analysis.Marcuse’s theory of alienation has a strong pessimistic and utopian color,and has not won victory in practice.At present,when we discuss Marcuse’s theory of alienation,we should not only see its theoretical limitations,but more importantly,we should see its foresight,which has an important warning effect on Chinese modernization construction.