one-dimensional society
E36060
One-dimensional society is Herbert Marcuse’s critical concept describing advanced industrial societies in which consumerism, mass media, and technological rationality suppress critical thought and genuine individuality by flattening social and political life into a single, conformist dimension.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Marxist critical theory concept
ⓘ
critical concept ⓘ philosophical concept ⓘ social theory concept ⓘ |
| aimsAt |
critique of late capitalism
ⓘ
critique of liberal democracy ⓘ critique of technological domination ⓘ |
| associatedWith | Frankfurt School ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
administration of needs
ⓘ
advanced industrial societies ⓘ conformism ⓘ consumerism ⓘ integration of opposition ⓘ mass media ⓘ repressive desublimation ⓘ technological rationality ⓘ |
| coinedBy | Herbert Marcuse ⓘ |
| critiques |
ideological function of mass media
ⓘ
integration of working class into consumer society ⓘ manipulation of needs by advertising ⓘ technocratic domination of politics ⓘ |
| describedIn | One-Dimensional Man ⓘ |
| effectOn |
absorption of dissent
ⓘ
flattening of political life ⓘ flattening of social life ⓘ reduction of negative thinking ⓘ suppression of critical thought ⓘ suppression of genuine individuality ⓘ |
| field |
critical theory
ⓘ
political philosophy ⓘ social philosophy ⓘ sociology ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
Cold War
ⓘ
surface form:
Cold War era
post-World War II capitalism ⓘ |
| influenced |
New Left
ⓘ
contemporary critical social theory ⓘ student movements of the 1960s ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Freudian psychoanalysis
ⓘ
Hegelian dialectics ⓘ Karl Marx ⓘ Max Weber ⓘ |
| opposes |
dialectical thinking
ⓘ
two-dimensional thinking ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
administered society
ⓘ
culture industry ⓘ false needs ⓘ instrumental reason ⓘ reification ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.