Research On Herbert Marcuse’s Labor Thought

As the most basic form of human existence and practical activity,labor plays an important role in the development of individuals and society,and thus has received the attention of scholars.As one of the representative figures of Western Marxism,Herbert Marcuse(1898-1979),based on the idea of labor in Marx’s early texts,confirmed the connection between Marx’s and Hegel’s ideas with labor as the core,made an ontological interpretation of the concept of labor by drawing on Heidegger’s existentialist ideas,and made an ontological interpretation of the phenomenon of labor alienation in developed industrial societies by absorbing Freud’s psychoanalytic theory.He analyzes and critiques the phenomenon of labor alienation in developed industrial societies,takes Marx’s idea of labor emancipation as the axis to expound his own labor emancipation demands,expands the theoretical theme of labor emancipation,and forms a unique labor thought.Specifically,this thesis explores the following five aspects.Firstly,this thesis discusses the social background and theoretical origins of the generation of Marcuse’s labor thought.In terms of the context of the times,the setback of the November Revolution in Germany led Marcuse to try to reactivate the theoretical power of Marxism;the generation of a one-dimensional capitalist society in the twentieth century led Marcuse to rethink the possibility of contemporary revolution.In terms of theoretical origins,Marcuse,based on a humanistic understanding of Marx’s labor thought,fuses the pluralistic theoretical perspectives of Heidegger’s existential interpretation of labor and Hegel’s dialectical analysis of labor,and with the help of Freud’s psychoanalysis,broadens the multiple connotation of labor from the perspective of individual and civilization development.Secondly,the thesis analyzes Marcuse’s elaboration of the nature of labor.Through his philosophical reflection on the concept of labor in economics,Marcuse points out that economists have failed to define the essence of labor,which has limited its theoretical validity.Marcuse analyzes the objectified activity of labor from an ontological point of view,arguing that labor is expressed in the process of dealing with other things and other people,and has the properties of continuity,recurrence,and burdensomeness.Marcuse further analyzes the historical world and the basis of living space on which labor activity takes place,and takes transcendence and self-realization as the driving force and purpose of labor,pointing out that labor enables individuals to interpret reality while transforming the world,and to realize themselves while incorporating history into themselves.Thirdly,the paper analyzes Marcuse’s criticism of the alienation of labor in developed industrial societies.Marcuse argues that in contrast to the traditional physical torture of alienation,the capitalist mode of automation has led to the formal fragmentation of labor,and the instrumentalization of labor has been advanced by the false demand oriented to consumption,and the worker is further controlled on all levels of consciousness.The individual nature of scarcity,on the other hand,explains the generation of alienation through the repression of the reality of Eros facilitated by the division of labor under the constraints of historical conditions.Alienated labor that does not have historical justification is continuously reproduced by contemporary capitalist society through many mechanisms such as violent repression,institutional management,mind control,colonial trade,and global expansion.Fourth,the paper analyzes the emancipatory dimension of Marcuse’s labor thought.Centering on the realization of labor in the kingdom of freedom,Marcuse denies the emancipatory effect of materially produced labor under the manipulation of capital,and explores the real possibility of emancipated labor and revolutionary strategies on the basis of illustrating the characteristics of non-alienated objectified labor;centering on the emancipation of Eros,Marcuse proposes Non-alienated pastime activities as a new form of labor to realize the emancipation of Eros;centering on the multiple themes of sensuality,nature and art,Marcuse presents multiple paths of labor emancipation through the integration of labor transformation and sensual revolution,which enables the overall collusion of internal and external nature,artistic activities and material production.Fifthly,the paper analyzes the theoretical development process of Marcuse’s labor thought in general,focusing on the transformation process of Marcuse’s labor thought.Marcuse’s labor thought provides an intermediary for a deeper understanding of Marx’s labor thought,a theoretical inspiration for reflecting on and promoting modernization,and a new way of thinking for critiquing the alienation of labor in capitalist society.However,Marcuse uses sensuality to refer to human nature,takes Realistic production as the root of alienation,and aesthetic pastime as the ultimate destination of labor emancipation.All these reflect the humanistic paradigm and metaphysical nature of his thought,which limit the theoretical validity and critical strength of Marcuse’s labor thought.