Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.
Herbert MarcuseRead
The sickness of the individual is ultimately caused by and sustained by the sickness of his civilization
Interpretation
What this quote means
The individual's problems are linked to the broader societal issues.
Herbert Marcuse's quote suggests that personal distress and suffering cannot be fully understood without considering the health of the society one lives in. He implies that individual troubles often stem from larger systemic issues within civilization, pointing to the interconnectedness of personal and social well-being. This perspective encourages us to recognize that improving individual lives requires addressing the maladies present in our collective framework.
Themes
SicknessCivilizationIndividualSocietyWell-Being
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on mental health, one might say, 'As Herbert Marcuse wisely pointed out, the sickness of the individual is ultimately caused by and sustained by the sickness of his civilization, emphasizing the need for societal change.'
More from Herbert Marcuse
All quotes βContemporary industrial society is now characterised more than ever by "the need for stupefying work where it is no longer a real necessity."
Herbert MarcuseRead
The existing liberties and the existing gratifications are tied to the requirements of repression: they themselves become instruments of repression.
Herbert MarcuseRead
Art cannot change the world, but it can contribute to changing the consciousness and drives of the men and women who could change the world.
Herbert MarcuseRead
By virtue of the way it has organized its technological base, contemporary industrial society tends to be totalitarian. For "totalitarian" is not only a terroristic political coordination of society, but also a non-terroristic economic-technical coordination which operates through the manipulation of needs by vested interests.
Herbert MarcuseRead
However, if "free choice" means more than a small selection between pre-established necessities, and if the inclinations and impulses used in work are other than those preshaped by a repressive reality principle, then satisfaction in daily work is only a rare privilege.
Herbert MarcuseRead
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