Proponent/Claimant
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.
Name of Research Journal
KRITIKE: An Online Journal of Philosophy
Volume and Issue No.
Vol. 2 (2):46-64 (2008)
Date/Year of Publication
2008
Citation
Ocay, J. V. (2008). Heidegger, Hegel, Marx: Marcuse and the theory of historicity. Kritike, 2(2).
