Understanding Herbert Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man - Antonio Oraldi

Antonio Oraldi is a PHD candidate at the university of Lisbon and specialises in the Philosophy of technology. "Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves. Free choice among a wide variety of goods and services does not signify freedom if these goods and services sustain social controls over a life of toil and fear – that is, if they sustain alienation." This is how Herbert Marcuse challenged one of the core assumptions of modern liberal societies: that freedom is simply a matter of choice. But what if the very choices we are given are shaped by systems of control? What if our desires, our aspirations, even our sense of self, are conditioned by forces beyond our awareness? What is the great refusal? Can liberal societies still be repressive? And is it okay to try and shape utopian societies? Timestamps: 0:00:01 - Introduction to the discussion on Marcuse and technology. 0:05:17 - The concept of "One-Dimensional Man" and how consumerism limits critical thought. 0:12:42 - Marcuse's view on false needs and how capitalism manipulates desire. 0:18:30 - Discussion on automation and its potential for liberation vs. exploitation. 0:25:14 - The role of art in resisting consumerist culture. 0:31:09 - Connection between Marcuse and the Frankfurt School’s critique of mass culture. 0:38:20 - How contemporary technology shapes political consciousness. 0:45:55 - Comparing Marcuse’s thoughts on technological rationality with today’s AI. 0:52:30 - Is social media an extension of the “administered world” Marcuse warned about? 1:00:01 - Discussion on consumerism in music and how countercultures get absorbed by the system. 1:00:46 - The commodification of sexual liberation through digital platforms. 1:02:05 - The attention economy and how digital capitalism captures cognitive resources. 1:04:04 - Marcuse’s view on whether we live in a dystopia today. 1:06:02 - His perspective on technology’s potential for utopia vs. its use for efficiency and control. 1:09:20 - The "Great Refusal" as a form of radical negation and political resistance. 1:12:21 - Debate on whether modern protests fit the concept of the Great Refusal. 1:15:02 - The role of art in Marcuse’s vision of liberation. 1:16:58 - Are there movements today that embody Marcuse’s ideas of utopian transformation? 1:18:04 - How Marcuse’s thought influences contemporary critical theory on technology. 1:20:00 - AI and its role in shaping labor and freedom in the modern age.