Herbert Marcuse and one-dimensionality: the continuing relevance of an idea

Terry Maley

Chapter 16 in Research Handbook on Critical Theory, 2026, pp 173-189 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In this chapter, I argue that an updated version of Herbert Marcuse's idea of ‘one-dimensionality’ is still relevant today for understanding the historical situation of neoliberal capitalism and culture. But Marcuse's idea has not remained static; one can see in it both continuity and change. The social forces shaping the current neoliberal moment – global capitalism, the neoliberal state, culture, social media/the algorithm, identity, nationalism, authoritarianism – are different from those Marcuse analysed in 1964 in his famous book One-Dimensional Man. These changes have contributed to a social and, as Marcuse noted, moral disintegration. Yet, there are also continuities in newer forms of one-dimensionality that signal deep social control/integration (algorithms). The idea of ‘one-dimensionality’ is still relevant for social scientific analysis, critical theory, and the humanities/liberal arts precisely because it is still recognisable but has also multiplied and has not remained the same.

Keywords: Marcuse; One-Dimensionality; Techno-Infrastructure; Neoliberalism; Authoritarianism; Culture Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800373754
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