Love and Desire and Civilization -- A Series of Translations of Western Philosophy in the Twentieth Century

Author: (American) Herbert Marcuse; Translated by Huang Yong, Xue Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979), a leading figure of the left wing of the Frankfurt School, was hailed in the West as the "philosopher of the New Left." This book is one of his major works, claiming to "supplement" Marxism with Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Today, Western civilization has reached its zenith, yet the acceleration of progress has also brought about 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 being by another occur precisely at the moment when human material and spiritual achievements have advanced to the point where it seems possible to establish a truly free world. It is clear that the high cost of highly civilized society is human unfreedom and the suppression of life instincts and the sublimated desire—love. Therefore, to resist modern Western civilization, it is first necessary to eliminate the suppression of human nature and liberate love.