Politics
One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society
Publisher: Beacon Press, 1991, 260pp, 2nd ed.
Originally published in 1964, One-Dimensional Man quickly became one of the most important texts in the ensuing decade of radical political change. One-Dimensional Man offers the reader a wide-ranging critique of both contemporary capitalism and the Soviet model of communism, documenting the parallel rise of new forms of social repression in both these societies as well as the decline of revolutionary potential in the West.
He argued that "advanced industrial society" created false needs, which integrated individuals into the existing system of production and consumption via mass media, advertising, industrial management, and contemporary modes of thought. This results in a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behaviour in which aptitude and ability for critical thought and oppositional behaviour wither away.
He argued that "advanced industrial society" created false needs, which integrated individuals into the existing system of production and consumption via mass media, advertising, industrial management, and contemporary modes of thought. This results in a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behaviour in which aptitude and ability for critical thought and oppositional behaviour wither away.