Marcuse

Herbert Marcuse · German philosopher, sociologist, and political theorist (1898–1979) · 1898–1979

Appears in 5 videos · 8 passages, 3 of them in depth.

Summary

Dominique Pagani almost always discusses Marcuse through Michel Clouscard's critique of him. He presents him as a thinker of leftist revolt: according to Marcuse, the working class, now integrated, has "sold itself for a mess of pottage," and revolution will come from minorities1. This discourse made Clouscard sick2. Pagani sees in it a contempt for the masses, linked to the idea that desire is revolutionary in itself3. He regards Marcuse's denunciation of consumer society as a refrain4. He faults him for a double error, which is also a double political fault: confusing capital goods with consumer goods, then attributing the latter to the proletariat5. In his view, Clouscard inverts the Marcusian thesis by showing that the "good" libidinality is the way of life of the parvenus. He nonetheless takes up the notion of one-dimensionality, quoted by Lefebvre, which is realized in knowledge as in reality6. For him, it reaches France with the Californian model after 19687.

Summary produced automatically from 9 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.

Who is this?

Herbert Marcuse ( mar-KOO-zə; German:; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German and American philosopher, social critic, and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin and then at the University of Freiburg, where he received his PhD under the supervision of Martin Heidegger. He was a prominent figure in the Frankfurt-based Institute for Social Research, which later became known as the Frankfurt School. […]

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Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0, excerpt · Portrait: Copyright holder: Marcuse family, represented by Harold Marcuse, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cycle 12 · 2 May 2024Neo-fascism and the ideology of desire: Clouscard, as relevant as ever

25:01Thinker of leftist revolt: the working class, integrated, has sold out; revolution will come from minorities.
30:07Confuses equipment goods and consumption goods and attributes the latter to the proletariat: twofold error, twofold political fault.

Talks · 23 May 2026Neo-fascism and the ideology of desire: is Michel Clouscard still relevant?

34:18He holds desire to be revolutionary and accuses the proletariat of having sold itself for a mess of pottage: contempt for the masses.

Cycle 12 · 28 Feb 2024Clouscard by you: answers to your questions

15:04One-Dimensional ManOne-dimensionality is realized in knowledge and reality, quoted by Lefebvre.
49:59One-dimensionality spreads to France with the Californian model after '68.

Series · 6 Jul 2012Radio Galère: Michel Clouscard (1)

21:52According to the publisher, he accuses the proletariat of wallowing in the consumer society.

Series · 29 Jan 2012Everything is allowed but nothing is possible: Michel Clouscard (1)

27:27His denunciation of consumer society is a tired refrain.
29:18He says the working class sold itself for a mess of pottage, a discourse that disgusted Clouscard.

Who is this?

Read the article on Wikipedia

Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0, excerpt · Portrait: Copyright holder: Marcuse family, represented by Harold Marcuse, CC BY-SA 3.0

Works cited

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Often cited with

Clouscard480 Marx604 Hegel836 Mitterrand73 Deleuze96 Jean-Marie Le Pen22 Althusser113 de Gaulle111 Kant371 Rousseau591 Derrida43 Lordon27