Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote discusses how modern society's technological structure can lead to totalitarian control, both politically and economically.
Herbert Marcuse's quote emphasizes the dual nature of totalitarianism in contemporary industrial society, where control is not only achieved through political terror but also through economic and technical means that manipulate the needs and desires of individuals. This manipulation by vested interests shapes society in a way that limits true freedom and autonomy, suggesting that the structure of technology and industry can lead to a form of subtle oppression.
Themes
TechnologyTotalitarianismManipulationSocietyIndustrial
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the influence of technology on society, this quote could illustrate how our needs are manipulated by those in power.
More from Herbert Marcuse
All quotes →Contemporary industrial society is now characterised more than ever by "the need for stupefying work where it is no longer a real necessity."
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The existing liberties and the existing gratifications are tied to the requirements of repression: they themselves become instruments of repression.
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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.
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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.
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The sickness of the individual is ultimately caused by and sustained by the sickness of his civilization
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