Tell us what's wrong and we'll take a look.
Thanks – we got it. We'll review and follow up if needed.
Herbert Marcuse's Negations is both a radical critique of capitalist modernity and a model of materialist dialectical thinking. In a series of essays, originally written in the period stretching from the 1930s to 1960s, Marcuse takes up the presupposed categories that have, and continue to, ground thought and action in our administered society: liberalism, industrialism, individualism, hedonism, aggression. This book is both a testament to a great thinker and a still vital strand of thought in the comprehension and critique of the modern organized world. It is essential reading for younger scholars and a radical reminder for those steeped in the tradition of a critical theory of society. With a brilliance of conception combined with an insistence on the material conditions of thought and action, this book speaks both to the particular contents engaged and to the fundamental grounds of any critique of organized modernity.
Herbert Marcuse, 1898-1979, was a member of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research. He was forced to leave Germany in 1933, eventually settling in the USA. His classic studies of capitalist society, Eros and Civilization and One-Dimensional Man, were important influences on the New Left of the 1960s and 1970s and his libertarian socialism remains an important intellectual resource.
Translated by
Jeremy J. Shapiro, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Human and Organization Development at Fielding Graduate University. With a background in sociology, philosophy, information systems, and intellectual history, he has published in the area of critical social theory, with emphasis on the cultural and social impact of information technology and the aesthetics of music. He translated and introduced into the English-speaking world major works by Jürgen Habermas and Herbert Marcuse and has also translated writings of Theodor W. Adorno, Karl Mannheim, and Pierre Bourdieu. As an educator, he has specialized in the teaching of research, critical thinking, information literacy, and music listening as well as critical theory. He has also worked as an information systems professional for 15 years; been active nationally in efforts to use networked information resources and computer networks in higher education; published and presented on information literacy, the virtual university, and the social consequences of the Internet; and been involved in efforts to bring computer technology to community, grassroots, and nonprofit organizations. He has also taught peer counseling. He graduated from Harvard College under Robert Paul Wolff and Barrington Moore, Jr., studied philosophy and sociology with Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, and Jürgen Habermas at the University of Frankfurt-am-Main and computer science with Abbe Mowshowitz at the City University of New York, and obtained his doctorate from Brandeis University under Kurt Wolff and Maurice Stein. His passions are classical music and travel. He lives in New York city with his wife Pamela Walsh and his cat Minou.
Readwise Books is an ebook & audiobook platform that automatically logs how much you and your friends read, making it fun and easy to read more. Learn more →
Enter your email to continue. We'll create your account if you're new here.