''Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory'' (1941; second edition 1954) is a book by the philosopher

Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse ( ; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German–American philosopher, social critic, and Political philosophy, political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at ...

, in which the author discusses the social theories of the philosophers

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...

and

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

. Marcuse reinterprets Hegel, with the aim of demonstrating that Hegel's basic concepts are hostile to the tendencies that led to

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. The book has received praise as an important discussion of Hegel and Marx.

Summary

Reason and Revolution explores the philosophical underpinnings of Hegelian dialectics and its influence on the development of social theory, particularly within Marxism and critical theory. It's considered a seminal text that examines Hegel's impact on the evolution of social and political thought. The book has undergone multiple editions and reprints since its initial publication, maintaining its relevance in discussions concerning philosophy, sociology, and political theory. Marcuse attempts to show that "Hegel's basic concepts are hostile to the tendencies that have led into Fascist theory and practice." Marcuse criticizes the thesis, propounded by the sociologist Leonard Hobhouse in ''The Metaphysical Theory of the State'' (1918), that Hegel provided an ideological preparation for German authoritarianism. In an appendix to the 1960 edition, Marcuse states that the "only major recent development in the interpretation of Hegel's philosophy is the postwar revival of Hegel studies in France." Marcuse credits the new French interpretation with showing clearly the "inner connection between the idealistic and materialistic dialectic". He provides a list of key works, including the philosopher

Alexandre Kojève Alexandre Kojève (born Aleksandr Vladimirovich Kozhevnikov; 28 April 1902 – 4 June 1968) was a Russian-born French philosopher and international civil service, civil servant whose philosophical seminars had some influence on 20th-century Frenc ...

's '' Introduction to the Reading of Hegel'' (1947).

Publication history

''Reason and Revolution'' was first published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 1941. A second edition was published by Humanities Press, Inc., in 1954. In 1960, the book was published in a paperback edition by

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as Jame ...

Reception

The psychoanalyst

Erich Fromm Erich Seligmann Fromm (; ; March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and set ...

praised ''Reason and Revolution'', calling it "brilliant and penetrating" and "the most important work which has opened up an understanding of Marx's humanism". The historian

Peter Gay Peter Joachim Gay ( né Fröhlich ; June 20, 1923 – May 12, 2015) was a German-American historian, educator, and author. He was a Sterling Professor of History at Yale University and former director of the New York Public Library's Center for ...

described the book as one of the most important discussions of alienation in the scholarly literature on Hegel and Marx. Jean-Michel Palmier saw the work as a rejection of Marcuse's '' Hegel's Ontology and the Theory of Historicity'' (1932), an interpretation of Hegel influenced by

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

References

Bibliography

Books * * * *

External links

marxists.org
- the book

with full texts of 19 reviews and links to on-line excerpts 1941 non-fiction books Books about Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Books about Karl Marx Books about revolutions Books about Marxism English-language non-fiction books Oxford University Press books Works by Herbert Marcuse {{poli-philo-book-stub