Philippine E-Journals

Marcuse: Negative Thinking, Critical Social Theory and Philosophy

Jamil Matalam

Discipline: Philosophy, Social Science

 

Abstract:

What is critical theory? What relevance does it have for us today? These are the questions I try to address in this paper. I look into the works of Herbert Marcuse, a critical theorist of the Frankfurt School of Marxism.

The paper is generally divided into 3 chapters: Hegel’s logic; Marxian theory; and Critical social theory and Philosophy. I argue, in this paper, that what Marcuse does is to retrieve the revolutionary and emancipatory character of philosophy; and that the relevance of critical theory, and philosophy for this matter, is the fulfillment of human freedom and the good or happy life.