Love and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud's Thought

Author: (USA) Marcuse; Huang Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The "Twentieth Century Western Philosophy Translation Series" selects major influential works from various dominant schools in Western philosophy in the 20th century. Through selective translation and introduction, it aims to enhance cultural accumulation, broaden academic horizons, enrich research topics, and provide systematic and complete hand materials for understanding and studying modern Western philosophy. This is beneficial for deepening the theoretical and academic community's borrowing and critique of Western culture. Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979), a leading figure in the left wing of the Frankfurt School, was hailed in the West as the "new left philosopher." This book is one of his major works, claiming to "supplement" Marxism with Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Today, Western civilization has reached its peak, yet the acceleration of progress has also brought an intensification of unfreedom. Concentration camps, genocide, world wars, and nuclear weapons are all products of modern civilization. The most effective rule and destruction of one human by another occur precisely at the moment when human material and spiritual achievements seem to have advanced to the point where a truly free world could be established. It is clear that the high cost of advanced civilization is human unfreedom and the suppression of life instincts and the elevated desire—Eros. Therefore, to resist modern Western civilization, it is first necessary to eliminate the suppression of human nature and liberate Eros.