Mario Kalik - Marcuse's critique of Freud's Theory of Civilization and Society (WSEAS EPLS '13, 2013).doc (original) (raw)

2013, ADVANCES in FISCAL, POLITICAL and LAW SCIENCE

This paper presents Marcuse's critique of Freud's theory of civilization and society. Herbert Marcuse in his book "Eros and Civilization" specifically devoted to the problem of civilization, society and culture from the perspective of Freud and psychoanalytic theory in general, at the same time expressing his critical attitude towards that theory and discovering the hidden opportunities in it. Freud's thesis on the necessity of repression of happiness in civilization did not take into account the difference between suffering that results from the finiteness of man as a biological being, and that arising from the existing structure of society-what belongs to the latter is attributed to the first, and that legitimized the social injustice. Marcuse concludes "the notion that a non-repressive civilization is impossible, is a cornerstone of Freudian theory". Marcuse's critique is directed on this Freud's thesis. Key-Words: civilization, society, repression, domination, the pleasure principle, the reality principle, surplus-repression, performance principle