One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society

Marcuse argues that dialectical thinking is necessary for liberation. What are the strengths and weaknesses of his arguments? What, in your view, does truly dialectical thinking consist of in a modern industrial society?

In ways does the totalitarianism of modern industrial society differ from the terroristic totalitarianism of more obviously repressive systems? Do you agree with Marcuse that both forms count as “totalitarianism”? Why or why not?

The democratization of access to the arts—e.g., free admission to museums, free access to books in libraries—is almost unequivocally viewed as a positive for society. However, Marcuse argues that this accessibility has also deradicalized the arts. What are the advantages and disadvantages of democratized access? How does it inhibit, or promote, meaningful opposition to the status quo?