Marcuse

<p>Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979) is known to many as a leading figure of 1960s counterculture and a Guru of the New Left.However the deeper philosophical background to Marcuse's thought is often forgotten especially his significant engagement with German idealism ancient philosophy and a broad spectrum of problems and issues from the philosophical tradition.</p><p>This much-needed book introduces and assesses Marcuse's philosophy and is ideal for those coming to his work for the first time. Jacob McNulty covers the following topics:</p><ul> <li>Marcuse's life and the background to his thought including his formative period as a student of Husserl and Heidegger and as a philosopher in Horkheimer's Institute</li> <li>Marcuse's recasting of metaphysics in light of Marxian and Freudian thought</li> <li>Marcuse and German idealism especially the role of Kant and Hegel</li> <li>Marcuse's philosophy of human nature his use of the late Freud's ideas of Eros and Thanatos</li> <li>Marcuse as a critic of state and monopoly capitalism</li> <li>Meaning propaganda and ideology: the political implications of language and also the centrality of free speech</li> <li>Marcuse's aesthetics</li> <li>Marcuse's legacy and his relationship to contemporary analytical philosophy (especially analytic critical theory).</li> </ul><p>An outstanding and engaging introduction to a central figure in twentieth-century radical thought <em>Marcuse</em> is essential reading for those in philosophy and related disciplines including political theory sociology and media and communication studies.</p>