In his book Eros and Civilization, Herbert Marcuse outlined his vision of a non-repressive society, where Eros is viewed as a liberating and constructive power and how throughout history we humans have had to fight against the repression of our instincts. And why are our instincts repressed? According to Marcuse, in our modern capitalist system this suppression is done in the name of progress and performance. Marcuse's philosophy of aesthetics is an extension of this worldview.

I would like to cite a number of quotes from The Aesthetic Dimension and offer a brief commentary on how, in my view, Marcuse's ideas relate to present day American society and, by extension, to our 21st century world society.

"The truth of art lies in its power to break the monopoly of established reality to define what is real. In this rupture, which is the achievement of the aesthetic form, the fictitious world of art appears as a true reality." --------- Think of the advertisements one sees on television. Basically, all the ads are presenting a set, fixed view of what is real and what we as consumers should value – snazzy cars, colorful cellphones, hip soft-drinks, innovative drugs to keep us young and happy. Now think of some great American novels: Babbitt, Sister Carrie, Revolutionary Road, A Fan's Notes, A Thousand Acres, The Sportswriter. We have to admit: the reality presented in these novels is quite different from the reality of the advertisers; in a word, the fictional world of the novelist's art is more in keeping with the depth of our human experience, or, in Marcuse’s language, "more real."

Along the same lines, here is another quote: "Compared with the often one-dimensional optimism of propaganda, art is permeated with pessimism, not seldom intertwined with comedy." ---------- Again, think of some contemporary writers, Jane Smiley, Joyce Carol Oats, Richard Ford, Cynthia Ozick, for example. Marcuse's description fits quite well - the world presented in the novels and stories of these writers is, indeed, permeated with pessimism (alienated suburbanites, battered children, suicides, unbearable memories, etc. etc.) and also intertwined with a healthy dose of comedy.

"In this sense art is "art for art sake" inasmuch as the aesthetic form reveals tabooed and repressed dimensions of reality: aspects of liberation." ---------- I couldn't agree more: our exposure to such art and literature is liberating; the more we are given an opportunity via art to see the dark, repressed dimensions of our world, the greater our freedom. Much better and more freeing than being glued to the pseudo-world of the television and other mass-media. To underscore this point, Herbert Marcuse writes: "Art's separation from the process of material production has enabled it to demystify the reality reproduced in this process. Art challenges the monopoly of the established reality to determine what is `real', and it does so by creating a fictitious world which is nevertheless "more real than reality itself."

"Aesthetic formation proceeds under the law of the Beautiful, and the dialectic of affirmation and negation, consolation and sorrow is the dialectic of the Beautiful. Marxist aesthetics has sharply rejected the idea of the Beautiful, the central category of "bourgeois" aesthetics. It seems difficult indeed to associate this concept with revolutionary art; it seems irresponsible, snobbish to speak of the Beautiful in the face of the necessities of the political struggle." ---------- Lovers of literature and art of the world unite! Political philosophy is not one of my major interests, but I think it's safe to say that Marxism as a political ideology is more dead than alive today. But the cultural exploitation of people by mass media is very much alive and kicking. So, if lovers of literature and art of the world unite and grow in numbers, then there could be a massive shift, for example, from hours sitting in front of the TV to enjoying literature and exposure to the various fine arts. ( )

In his book Eros and Civilization, Herbert Marcuse outlined his vision of a non-repressive society, where Eros is viewed as a liberating and constructive power and how throughout history we humans have had to fight against the repression of our instincts. And why are our instincts repressed? According to Marcuse, in our modern capitalist system this suppression is done in the name of progress and performance. Marcuse's philosophy of aesthetics is an extension of this worldview.

I would like to cite a number of quotes from The Aesthetic Dimension and offer a brief commentary on how, in my view, Marcuse's ideas relate to present day American society and, by extension, to our 21st century world society.

"The truth of art lies in its power to break the monopoly of established reality to define what is real. In this rupture, which is the achievement of the aesthetic form, the fictitious world of art appears as a true reality." --------- Think of the advertisements one sees on television. Basically, all the ads are presenting a set, fixed view of what is real and what we as consumers should value – snazzy cars, colorful cellphones, hip soft-drinks, innovative drugs to keep us young and happy. Now think of some great American novels: Babbitt, Sister Carrie, Revolutionary Road, A Fan's Notes, A Thousand Acres, The Sportswriter. We have to admit: the reality presented in these novels is quite different from the reality of the advertisers; in a word, the fictional world of the novelist's art is more in keeping with the depth of our human experience, or, in Marcuse’s language, ‘more real’.

Along the same lines, here is another quote: "Compared with the often one-dimensional optimism of propaganda, art is permeated with pessimism, not seldom intertwined with comedy." ---------- Again, think of some contemporary writers, Jane Smiley, Joyce Carol Oats, Richard Ford, Cynthia Ozick, for example. Marcuse's description fits quite well - the world presented in the novels and stories of these writers is, indeed, permeated with pessimism (alienated suburbanites, battered children, suicides, unbearable memories, etc. etc.) and also intertwined with a healthy dose of comedy.

"In this sense art is "art for art sake" inasmuch as the aesthetic form reveals tabooed and repressed dimensions of reality: aspects of liberation." ---------- I couldn't agree more: our exposure to such art and literature is liberating; the more we are given an opportunity via art to see the dark, repressed dimensions of our world, the greater our freedom. Much better and more freeing than being glued to the pseudo-world of the television and other mass-media. To underscore this point, Herbert Marcuse writes: "Art's separation from the process of material production has enabled it to demystify the reality reproduced in this process. Art challenges the monopoly of the established reality to determine what is `real', and it does so by creating a fictitious world which is nevertheless "more real than reality itself"."

"Aesthetic formation proceeds under the law of the Beautiful, and the dialectic of affirmation and negation, consolation and sorrow is the dialectic of the Beautiful. Marxist aesthetics has sharply rejected the idea of the Beautiful, the central category of "bourgeois" aesthetics. It seems difficult indeed to associate this concept with revolutionary art; it seems irresponsible, snobbish to speak of the Beautiful in the face of the necessities of the political struggle." ---------- Lovers of literature and art of the world unite!

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