On 28th July ten members of the philosophy group met at Enterprise House to consider the work of Herbert Marcuse.
The session heard that Marcuse was a twentieth century philosopher who developed the work of Hegel, Marx, Freud and Nietzsche to reach his unified theory regarding domination, desire and identify the possibility of a non-repressive civilisation.
Marcuse’s key ideas related to the impact of advanced technology on both capitalist and communist societies. He identifies the development of:
- One‑dimensional thought
- False needs
- Surplus repression
Philosophy group members questioned these difficult concepts and were able to apply them to their day-to-day experiences. The group recognised the impact of social media “influencers” on people’s beliefs and agreed we all rely on “specialists” to inform our beliefs and actions. Examples were shared of our own and our family members “false needs”. There was also some discussion about level of repressed desire was essential for community living and what would be “surplus repression”.
There was then discussion regarding the political implications of Marcuse’s theory and his critique of Marxism before the group applied Marcuse’s thoughts onto current developments in technology and the implications for the future.
Pat Rich
1/8/26