One Dimensional Society

Herbert Marcuse was not excited about capitalism nor consumerism. In fact, he argues that those two things are problematic to the destruction of our democracy and our society as we know it. He says very clearly that advanced industrial society creates false needs and integrates individuals into systems of production, consumption, and advertising. In his One-Dimensional Man, Marcuse writes, "people recognize themselves in their commodities. They find their soul in their cars, stereos, homes, and become extensions of the commodities they buy. The affluent mass, he argues are controlled and manipulated without the ability for them to fight back. He goes further with views, stating that our political system has become bureaucratized and the power for critical reflection has declined. The working class is no longer a subversive force capable of revolutionary change. As a result, rather than looking to the workers as the revolutionary vanguard, Marcuse put his faith in an alliance between radical intellectuals and those groups that are not yet integrated into the one-dimensional society.

He strongly criticizes and views the modern "industrial society" as a form of social control. He argues that while the system we live in may claim to be democratic, it is totalitarian. A form of technological rationality has imposed itself on every aspect of culture and public life and has become very dominant. Also, modern industrial societies have created an "affluent society," which in increasing comfort have disguised the exploitative nature of the system and have strengthened means for domination and control. Modern "affluent society" therefore limits opportunities for political revolution against capitalism. In modern consumer societies, Marcuse argues that a small number of individuals are empowered to dictate our perceptions of freedom by providing us with opportunities to buy our happiness. In this state of "unfreedom" consumers act irrationally by working more to fulfill their basic needs, ignoring the psychological effects, ignoring the waste and environmental damages, and the continual search for social connection through material items.

His solution for this psychology is anti-consumerism, a lifestyle that reduces consumption, as well as unnecessary work, etc. Towards the end of his book, Herman Marcuse promotes the "great refusal" as the only adequate opposition to all-encompassing methods of control.

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