Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves.
Herbert MarcuseRead
Behind the aesthetic form lies the repressed harmony of sensuousness and reason
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that beneath beauty lies a balance between emotion and logic.
Herbert Marcuse's quote implies that aesthetic forms in art and life are often shaped by a deep-seated harmony between our sensory experiences and rational thought. It highlights the interplay between passion and intellect, suggesting that true beauty arises from a synthesis of these elements rather than from a superficial or disconnected approach to aesthetics.
Themes
AestheticHarmonySensuousnessReasonArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about the role of art in society.
More from Herbert Marcuse
All quotes βContemporary industrial society is now characterised more than ever by "the need for stupefying work where it is no longer a real necessity."
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The existing liberties and the existing gratifications are tied to the requirements of repression: they themselves become instruments of repression.
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Art cannot change the world, but it can contribute to changing the consciousness and drives of the men and women who could change the world.
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By virtue of the way it has organized its technological base, contemporary industrial society tends to be totalitarian. For "totalitarian" is not only a terroristic political coordination of society, but also a non-terroristic economic-technical coordination which operates through the manipulation of needs by vested interests.
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However, if "free choice" means more than a small selection between pre-established necessities, and if the inclinations and impulses used in work are other than those preshaped by a repressive reality principle, then satisfaction in daily work is only a rare privilege.
Herbert MarcuseRead
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