Proponent(s)
Jeffry Ocay
Abstract
The search for a historically conscious individual who is disposed to “radical action” is the main thrust of this paper. This is premised on the following claims: first, that the modern society is a pathological society whose rules, most often but not necessarily, imply control and domination; thus a “refusal” to abide by these rules is the most appropriate alternative available; and, second, that there is still hope for the Enlightenment’s project of emancipation, that is, such “refusal,” which means a political fight for liberation, is still winnable no matter how formidable the forces of domination may be. But this paper can only do so much. I do not offer any universal and prefab solution to the pathological society. What I do instead is argue that the emergence of a historically conscious individual who is disposed to “radical action,” which eventually leads to a “collective radical action,” is still possible today. I also argue that “radical action” presupposes an awareness of the concrete socio-historical situations, thus the importance of “historicity.” This is done through a reconstructive reading of Marcuse’s Critical Theory. In fact, my argument is just an echo on what Marcuse did more than four decades ago.
Publication Date
2008
Name of Research Journal
KRITIKE: An Online Journal of Philosophy
Volume and Issue No.
Vol. 2 (2):46-64 (2008)
Citation
Ocay, J. V. (2008). Heidegger, Hegel, Marx: Marcuse and the theory of historicity. Kritike, 2(2).
