Critical Theory aims to scrutinize the notions that are considered apparent by indicating the internal contradictions understood in them. This lets us a people in society to have better understanding of the reasons for problems we experience. In this paper, I will be addressing the contradictions of false and true needs according to Herbert Marcuse. In order to examine these contradictions, I will focus on Marcuse’s central claim that false needs prevent us in society from changing a problem and solving it. Also, I will be discussing his solution for this contradiction that in order to change we need to be aware of things happening to us and not be so one-dimensional. The contradiction Marcuse in “The New Forms of Control” is focusing on In other words, people in society are manipulated by the government in the way we think, we are manipulated to believe that these false needs are want we truly want in our lives. However, Marcuse suggests that these false needs do not provide us with real freedom, or real happiness, it is only gives us temporary happiness, meaning when these needs are satisfied, we gain satisfaction (Marcuse, p.7). The fact that these are not our real needs leads us to a serious issue, in the sense that it prevents us from changing a problem in society, and in our lives solving it. For example, advertising in today’s society can reflect false needs. Merchandise these days are intended to break down after a certain period of time, this keeps demands high. Things are not constructed to maintain their value anymore, and a false economy gives the notion that spending more on an item will make it last longer. These illusions of the world according to Marcuse, becomes our reality (Marcuse, p.13). We tend to forget that there are more dimensions out there and become comfortable in this one-dimension society, where false needs seem to be real needs. The reason why we are blinded in such a one- dimensional manner and cannot really escape is because, these false needs blinds us pleasantly (Marcuse, p.14). The government portrays these false needs as enjoyable and He argues that in order to change something in society, we need to be well-aware and not be one-dimensional. In order to do this, we need to overcome ideology. Marcuse suggests that we need to come to find their way from false to true consciousness; we need to distinguish between our false needs and our true needs (Marcuse, p. 7). One can find true needs by being fully aware of one’s true concerns, this happens by developing a consciousness that is consistent with their class position (Marcuse). In other words, there is a need for human benefits to develop a true understanding of their class location, if their individual and class interests are to be realized
In Scott Russell Sanders’, “The Common Life”, he puts forward the conflict between an individual and society. Sanders recognizes the importance of individual activities, or as he said “seasons of withdrawal from responsibility”. On the contrary, Sanders declares that this surplus in no responsibility can steer to “a career of being unaccountable”. Sanders’ declarations are well founded when the proof is inspected.
In “A Hunger”, “The Penal Colony”, and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka succeeded in showing his individuals as obsessed with their profession; however their obsession caused their doom because society asks so much from an individual, only so much can be done. However, regardless of that, these individuals choose their work over themselves, and not even bad health or death can stop them. Because society places immures pressure on Kafka’s work obsessed character, they neglect their well-being and cause their own downfall.
Most prominent among these “Western Marxists” is a group known as the Frankfurt School. An eclectic group of bright intellectuals who fled Germany in the 1930s, they have sought to develop a “critical theory” that blends Freud and Weber (among others) with Marx. Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation is an example of how they have attempted to keep their social and revolutionary theories relevant and vital. It deals with an increasingly complex society in an increasingly sophisticated manner. This effort creates an interesting historical tension within Marcuse’s work because the complexity of his analysis makes it impossible to adhere t...
The society uses one’s happiness to seek their own. Starting with the ancient Adam Smith’s theory of a market economy where commodities are sold and bought in a market freely, where sellers and buyers exchange to achieve profit, and happiness is derived from profit. Thus “happiness is both produced and consumed” (Ahmed 3). Happiness is a matter of research for corporates of big companies. They try to figure out which product makes the buyers feel the happiness they need, so that they can produce more for their own profit. So, they cunningly make commercials with people having a good time. Which when watched by the buyers they get the false sense that their life would be so much better if they bought that small bottle of happiness. Once they buy their “Pandora’s box” they hope that underneath all the unnecessary objects there will be happiness, but they are dispirited at the end. Unknowingly the markets are making the society a more dull and sad place rather than distributing
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
They do not try to exceed what is expected from them or to better themselves because they are happy in the position they find themselves in. The people love what they are doing they do not desire any change in their lives what's there more to want when you are doing what you love everyday. Eliminating the class struggle by having the people love their class is the method used for achieving the utopian society found in Huxley’s Brave New World.
However, despite the attainment of a “high civilization” based on this definition, humans are still discontented with what they have or what they have carried out. It is, on the other hand, based on the demands of the civilization and the factors that would contribute to the unhappiness of man./ In such cases, civilization would require man to conform with its demands, compromising man’s instinctual freedom which is eventually repressed leading to a prolonged and repressed pleasure. And as a result, the civilization imparts to humans a perpetual feeling of
...pursue money to spend on things, to be living mannequins for the material adornments, our worth determined by what we have or lack, rather than what we are, what we do, or what we know. People become used to the intrusion of advertising into their consciousness so they fail to protect themself, or worse, their children from being seduced by it. Convinced that their self worth is based on the latest cell phone, children are already on the road to spiritual dissatisfaction and resentment as well as a perception of diminished self-worth, and with low self-worth comes low community involvement. Empty, hollow words, bespeaking a personal void filled by the pursuit of things. Getting away from need for things is at least a start in allowing people to communicate and then once communicating, beginning to solve real problems in their home, community, nation and the world.
The idea of sociological imagination was created by C. Wright Mills in 1959 to describe the special way sociologists look at the world. Basically, most personal problems in people's lives are rarely ever truly personal. Usually these “personal” problems are problems experienced by a large population of people in society. Many personal problems are really just social problems disguised by people's selfishness. The difference between a personal and societal problem in an individual are the troubles a person experiences and the issues an entire society experiences that could threaten its structure. An example of the distinction between troubles and issues in society is unemployment. When only one man is unemployed in a city of thousands or millions, it is this person's personal trouble that stems from a flaw in his or her character, set of skills, or the amount of opportunities he or she may receive. Comparatively, if thousands or millions of people are out of work in a city, this shows there is an issue with unemployment in that city. This issue affects the structure of society and should be fixed to bring society back to normal. A current example is the issue of debt and corporate greed in 21st century America. A large amount of the American population nowadays is in debt and losing their jobs and just generally living a lesser way of life than they were five or ten years ago. The American Dream is being perverted into a Marxist nightmare where the corporate bourgeoisie is taking advantage of the American proletarians more and more. In response to this issue, some activists have started a movement called Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Wall Street is a movement to acknowledge the current corporate decadence and how it is affecting th...
In the analysis of this paper, the author believes that the model of Abraham Maslow (2009) can be very helpful. This model is called the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow (2009), people have needs...
The writing I am reflecting on is presented by Michael Spencer and the thesis is that “in order to create social change and to promote social justice, we must begin this process with ourselves” (Spencer, 2008). The recurring concepts of social justice, privilege and oppression throughout this writing, surround
Similar to interpretivist researchers, critical researchers recognize that research is not value free, but they go further in that the goal of the research is to actively challenge interpretations and values in order to bring about change (Vine, 2009). The paradigm of critical research originated from the critical theory; credits of this model are George Hegel (eighteenth century) and Karl Marx (nineteenth century). This research theory seeks to contradict the preceding theories and models regarding society. Transformative researchers felt that the interpretivist/constructivist approach to research did not adequately address issues of social justice and marginalized people (Creswell, 2003, p.9). Researchers, who use this approach, analyze previous theoretical claims, questioning preceding findings and conclusions.
In Mills essay On Liberty he places great emphasize on individual roles in the political and social aspect of life’s systems. In Mills defense, such themes can be attributed to the liberty of individuals being responsible for their own destinies. Meaning that individuals should be the only ones to define and judge their actions. Mills feels that individuals should have the right to decide what is right or wrong and their standards of living should stem from those beliefs. Then from their primary way of living should implies one’s freedom to pursue whatever they feel is their own personal calling. Which would create individuality marking their own personal footprint in society off what they feel ad believe rather than following the masses and
According to Bernard, Snipes and Gerould (2010), Robert K. Merton adopted Emile Durkheim’s anomie theory, which Durkheim defined as the breakdown of social norms or rules, as a result of rapid social changes. In other words, anomie refers to a breakdown in the ability of society to regulate the natural appetites of individuals (Bernard et. al., 2010). Merton, however, argued that many of the appetites of individuals are not natural, instead, they are a product of American society. As stated by Bernard et. al. (2010), the culture of any society defines certain goals that it deems worth striving for. In American society, that goal is to acquire wealth. As implied by the concept of the American Dream, American society encourages individuals to pursue wealth through the idea of meritocracy, and egalitarian, or the notion that all people have an equal chance to achieve wealth (p. 155), thus, anyone can become successful with hard work, and determination.
In contemporary society, individuals are becoming blinded by the materials we create. We are starting to live in a society where our innate code of ethics, of what is important, of what is needed to survive, is changing. Our basic human necessities needs of survival, like shelter, clothing, and food areis becoming less valued than our desires. Having a home, a meal to eat at night, and clothing to keep you warm, used to be the American Dream;, to become successful and live a content life. Early in America, a content life used to be having shelter, food, clothes, but now, having those basic needs aren't enough for Americans anymore. Our moral code, as a society, expects us to push the boundaries of our lives, to make them easier, but at the