Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory

Marcuse outlines Hegel’s thought and suggests how it informed the later rise of social theory and critical theory. The book is a fine exposition of Hegel and Marx. It suffers, however, by rarely attaching the two. Therefore, the subtitle should actually read “Hegel + The Rise of Social Theory.”For Hegel Reason functions as an acid-drip, dissolving all historical forms, leading to the liberation of nature. As Marcuse says, it is a “task,” not a fact (Marcuse 26). While many repeat Hegel’s famous dictum that the Real is the Rational, Marcuse points out that reason will dissolve social orders via its inherent negativity, which will then usher in new forms of the rational.The progress of thought begins when we try to grasp the structure of Being. But when we do this, Being dissolves into many quantities and qualities, which are actually a totality of antagonistic relations. This is the essence of Being. Therefore, Being is antagonistic. Indeed, Being is *violent.*Hegel’s thought allows a visible dynamic between reason, externality, and alienation (as famously seen in Marx). Through labor man overcomes the estrangement between the objective world and the subjective world. Man is alienated when he is subordinated to abstract labor. Mechanization facilitates this alienation.Alienation of the person: the person externalizes himself and becomes an object. I can sell my time and labor. Marcuse, like Marx earlier, sees that many of Hegel’s conclusions, lead to antagonisms and clashes in society (196). However, in Hegel’s society, as Marx would later note, people participate and share only on the basis of Capital, which itself will create more inequalities (205).The second half of the book is a skillful analysis of Marx and later sociologists. This has been covered in depth by other writers, so there is no need to review it here. The book succeeds as an excellent analysis of Hegel, yet it seems about 100 pages too long.

Please be gone,I'm tired of being pulverized. I was born years after the first publication of this book in 1941. I looked at newspapers and magazines to see what was going on in the world in 1960, when Herbert Marcuse added a new preface on dialectic. Since then, I have some inkling that you might know I'm not The Dixie Chicks. There is morbid humor in celbrating the imploded privacy of dead souls on the deathly ratline. Internal contradictions are still gnawing Hegel in Reason and Revolution by Herbert Marcuse. On November 11, 2016, I went to Oriental Market and saw pork heart in the meat counter. I did not buy it because you are what your food eats.Bean-curd tigers would like to call a screeching halt to being a member of health care risk pool insurance mandates. Mystic forces enumerating the chit storm fit will go into wilted two power offices like stink on chit. Insurance has been playing metaforeplay games for a third party beneficiary. Up pops sexual psychodynamics in shambolic order to obey risk reduction by sacrifice of 300 oofbirds fluttering like a pass play flying column. War is the constant shift and shuffle for the ugly world of public enemies of the people. In a Tom Petty chit:We wiped out a townWe wiped out a cityNext wipe is the baby inDiddie-Wah-Diddie.Scuze me while I kiss this guy.