Episode #111 - The Frankfurt School Pt. 4 - Eros
The Frankfurt School Pt. 4 - Eros
This episode examines a nuanced defense of capitalism in response to Frankfurt School critiques, acknowledging that while modern capitalist societies may still exploit individuals, they offer vastly improved conditions compared to historical systems like feudalism. Drawing on Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents, the episode explores how societal norms repress instinctual drives for the sake of civilization, a concept Marcuse largely accepts but questions in terms of degree. Marcuse’s Eros and Civilization challenges the idea that all repression is necessary, arguing instead that many cultural taboos—especially around work and sexuality—persist not because they benefit society today, but because they’ve gone unexamined. He urges a critical reevaluation of such norms, emphasizing that advanced technology could liberate people from needless labor, yet capitalism perpetuates artificial needs to maintain productivity. This creates what Marcuse calls a soft, insidious form of totalitarianism, where even critiques of the system are commodified and rendered harmless.
Further Reading:
One-Dimensional Man by Herbert Marcuse (1964)
Grand Hotel Abyss by Stuart Jeffries (2016)
Critical Theory: The Basics by Martin Shuster (2021)
See the full transcript here.
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