![[herbert-marcuse.png]]
Herbert Marcuse was a German-American philosopher, sociologist, and political theorist associated with the [Frankfurt School of Critical Theory]([[Frankfurt School]]). He is best known for his critique of industrial society and his works advocating for radical social change.
### **Early Life and Education**
Marcuse was born on July 19, 1898, in Berlin, Germany, to a Jewish family. He served in World War I and then studied at the University of Freiburg, where he received his Ph.D. in literature in 1922. He subsequently joined the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research (later known as the Frankfurt School), where he collaborated with other critical theorists such as [[Theodor Adorno]], [[Max Horkheimer]], and [[Walter Benjamin]].
### **Career and Major Contributions**
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Marcuse, like many of his Jewish colleagues, fled Germany. He lived in Switzerland and then the United States, where he became a citizen in 1940. During World War II, he worked for the U.S. Office of War Information and later the State Department, researching [[Nazi Germany]].
Marcuse is perhaps best known for his book "[[One-Dimensional Man]]" (1964), in which he critiques modern industrial societies, arguing that they become one-dimensional through the domination of technological rationality and the creation of false needs, thus creating a society with a flattened understanding of reality. He asserts that this leads to conformity and stifles critical thought and potential for social change.
His 1955 book, "[[Eros and Civilization]]," is another key work, synthesizing the theories of [[Karl Marx]] and [[Sigmund Freud]] to explore how capitalist societies repress human instincts and create a culture of 'performance principle,' stifling human potential for liberation and pleasure.
### **Influence and Later Life**
Marcuse's work heavily influenced the [[New Left]] and student movements in the 1960s, particularly his idea of "repressive tolerance," which argued that apparent tolerance in modern societies can be a tool of repression if it stifles fundamental social change.
In the 1960s, Marcuse taught at [[Brandeis University]] and the [[University of California, San Diego]]. He retired in 1970 but continued to write and give lectures until his death on July 29, 1979.
Marcuse's works remain influential in fields such as sociology, philosophy, and political science. His critiques of modern society and his advocacy for social change have made him a significant figure in critical theory and leftist thought.