One dimensional man
About: This article is published in Philosophical Books.The article was published on 1965-05-01. It has received 2842 citations till now.
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TL;DR: In this paper, Witheford discusses recent analysis by autonomist Marxists of communication and culture under high technology capitalism, and discusses their analysis of the relationship between technology and culture.
Abstract: In this article Witheford discusses recent analysis by autonomist Marxists of communication and culture under high technology capitalism.
66 citations
Cites background from "One dimensional man"
...Both metaphors break with the consolidated left legacy which sees in science and technology only the ‘one dimensional’ logic of capital (Marcuse 1964)....
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01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the achievements of leisure theory at century's end, and what are the prospects for theoretical developments in the future, and the role of the "gladiatorial paradigm" in encouraging stereotyping and scapegoating is reviewed.
Abstract: The two main questions examined in this paper are: 1) What are the achievements of leisure theory at century's end?; and 2) What are the prospects for theoretical developments in the future? The first half of the paper argues that theoretical discussion has been dominated by three positions: functionalism/post industrial society theory; structuralism; and postructuralism/postmodernism. Within this framework the specialized theory and research traditions in the subject can be located. The strengths and weaknesses of the three positions are discussed. The role of the “gladiatorial paradigm” in encouraging stereotyping and scapegoating is reviewed. The second half of the paper moves on to consider the key issues identified as: 1) exploring the meaning of leisure in post-Fordist society; 2) developing a theory of deviant leisure; 3) developing which full employment is already a thing of the past; and 4) investigating the changing balance of inequalities between the leisure rich and the leisure poor.
66 citations
01 Apr 2018
TL;DR: The authors reflect on the complex recent histories of neoliberalism, nihilism, and what Marcuse termed "repressive desublimation" that generate the force and legitimacy of this novel development in Euro-Atlantic political life.
Abstract: What peculiar form of freedom is cultivated and promised in right-wing political formations today? How does “illiberal democracy” sew together libertarianism and authoritarianism? How is the radical disinhibition and aggressiveness contained in these formations reconciled with their claim to cultivate traditional values and restore order? This paper reflects on the complex recent histories—of neoliberalism, of nihilism, and of what Marcuse termed “repressive desublimation”—that generate the force and legitimacy of this novel development in Euro-Atlantic political life.
66 citations
TL;DR: The main argument of as mentioned in this paper is that a defining aspect of technology is the role that it plays in extending human capabilities, and drawing attention to this aspect helps to help distinguish technology from other material artefacts but also goes some way to explaining the peculiarposition technology occupies in modern societies, or at the very least provides auseful framework for posing important questions about technology.
Abstract: There is a tension in many discussions of technology concerning the distinctionbetween technical objects and other artefacts. On the one hand, a variety ofartefacts, such as paintings, sculptures, jewellery, food, toys, passports, etc., tendnot to be considered as technical objects. Such artefacts do not enter into accountsof technical change or technological trajectories and are not referred to in orderto illustrate major theories of technology—for example, it is hard to image atheory of technological determinism having emerged from a concern with suchartefacts as paintings or jewellery. On the other hand, general discussion oftechnology tends to shift between the word technology and undifferentiatedreference to material artefacts or even simply artefacts. That is, specific talk ofparticular “acceptably technical” objects, such as computers or hammers, whengeneralised, quickly take the form of discussions of artefacts or material thingswith no clearly or explicitly distinguished technical characteristics. No doubtmuch of this tension arises for the simple reason that it is not easy to establish whatit is about certain artefacts that make them unambiguously technical in nature.Various attempts have been made to use some conception of “function” or“means” to mark the difference. But such attempts quickly unravel. Is art or foodwithout function? Are not most actions or productions a means to some otheraction or production?The main argument of this paper is that a defining aspect of technology is therole that it plays in extending human capabilities. Moreover, drawing attention tothis aspect of technology, I suggest, serves not only to help distinguish technologyfrom other material artefacts but also goes some way to explaining the peculiarposition technology occupies in modern societies, or at the very least provides auseful framework for posing important questions about technology.These arguments, however, require a fair amount of elaboration. First, a varietyof definitional issues are raised. For example, can a role be a defining aspect of a
66 citations
TL;DR: A broad range of institutionalist social science programs showed that globalization outcomes were often better explained by institutional logics (including cultural ones) than by global flows per se as mentioned in this paper, and the emerging debate on empire and imperalism is discussed as a logical offshoot of the globalization discussion.
Abstract: Recent globalization theory reflected a chain of world historical events since the end of the Cold War. Globalization theories were tools for the making of political alliances between market liberals and political liberals. From the mid-1990s a broad range of institutionalist social science programs showed that globalization outcomes were often better explained by institutional logics (including cultural ones) than by global flows per se. This is, among others, illustrated by the debate on global inequality data. The emerging debate on empire and imperalism is discussed as a logical offshoot of the globalization discussion just as the phenomenon itself is seen as a likely outcome of an epoch of market-driven globalization. Globalization was predicated on the emergence of a US-led transnational western state structure on behalf of the transnational capitalist class based in finance and the large corporations. Territory and space have become more important rather than less, but the explanation of regional t...
65 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined accounts of travelers in terms of Erving Goffman's front versus back distinction and found that tourists try to enter back regions of the places they visit because these regions are associated with intimacy of relations and authenticity of experiences.
Abstract: The problem of false consciousness and its relationship to the social structure of tourist establishments is analyzed. Accounts of travelers are examined in terms of Erving Goffman's front versus back distinction. It is found that tourists try to enter back regions of the places they visit because these regions are associated with intimacy of relations and authenticity of experiences. It is also found that tourist settings are arrenged to produce the impression that a back region has been entered even when this is not the case. In tourist settings, between the front and the back there is a series of special spaces designed to accommodate tourists and to support their beliefs in the authenticity of their experiences. Goffman's front-back dichotomy is shown to be ideal poles of a continuum, or a variable.
2,627 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1995
TL;DR: Casey as discussed by the authors explored the effects of contemporary practices of work on the self and found that changes currently occuring in the world of work are part of the vast social and cultural changes that are challenging the meta trends of modern industrialism.
Abstract: Despite recent interest in the effects of restructuring and redesigning the work place, the link between individual identity and structural change has usually been asserted rather than demonstrated. Through an extensive review of data from field work in a multi-national corporation Catherine Casey changes this. She knows that changes currently occuring in the world of work are part of the vast social and cultural changes that are challenging the meta trends of modern industrialism. These events affect what people do everyday, and they are altering relations among ourselves and with the physical world. This valuable book is not only a critical analysis of the transformations occurring in the world of work, but an exploration of the effects of contemporary practices of work on the self.
540 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors interpret critical urban theory with reference to four mutually interconnected elements: its theoretical character; its reflexivity; its critique of instrumental reason; and its emphasis on the disjuncture between the actual and the possible.
Abstract: What is critical urban theory? While this phrase is often used in a descriptive sense, to characterize the tradition of post‐1968 leftist or radical urban studies, I argue that it also has determinate social–theoretical content. To this end, building on the work of several Frankfurt School social philosophers, this paper interprets critical theory with reference to four, mutually interconnected elements—its theoretical character; its reflexivity; its critique of instrumental reason; and its emphasis on the disjuncture between the actual and the possible. On this basis, a brief concluding section considers the status of urban questions within critical social theory. In the early 21st century, I argue, each of the four key elements within critical social theory requires sustained engagement with contemporary patterns of capitalist urbanization. Under conditions of increasingly generalized, worldwide urbanization, the project of critical social theory and that of critical urban theory have been intertwined a...
356 citations
TL;DR: The authors provide an overview of the key images of identity in organizations found in the research literature, including self-doubters, strugglers, surfers, storytellers, strategists, stencils and soldiers.
Abstract: This article provides an overview of the key images of identity in organizations found in the research literature. Image refers to the overall idea or conceptualization, capturing how researchers relate to — and shape — a phenomenon. Seven images are suggested: self-doubters, strugglers, surfers, storytellers, strategists, stencils and soldiers. These refer to how the individual is metaphorically understood in terms of identity, that is, how the researcher (research text) captures the individual producing a sense of self. The article aims to facilitate orientation — or encourage productive confusion — within the field, encourage reflexivity and sharpen analytic choices through awareness of options for how to conceptualize self-identity constructions.
289 citations