r- EROS AND CIVILIZATION A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud HERBERT MARCUSE With a N_ew Preface by the Author BEACON PRESS BOSTON r u6 EROS AND CIVILIZATION self-development of Eros. As early as Plato, this conception appears as an archaic-mythical residue. Eros is being ab. sorbed into Logos, and Logos is reason which subdues the instincts. The history of ontology reflects the reality prin· PART TWO ciple which governs the world ever more exclusively: The BEYOND THE REALITY PRINCIPLE insights contained in the metaphysical notion of Eros were driven underground. They survived, in eschatological dis· "What time has been wasted during man's destiny in the tortion, in many heretic movements, in the hedonistic phi· struggle to decide what man's next world will be like! The keener losophy. Their history has still to be written-as has the the effort to find out, the less he knew about the present one he lived in. The one lovely world be knew, lived in, that gave him all history of the transformation of Eros in Agape.19 Freud's he had was, according to preacher and prelate, the one to be least in own theory follows the general trend: in his work, the ra- his He was recommended, ordered, from the day of his birth to bid goodbye to it. Oh, we have had enough of the abuse tionality of the predominant reality principle supersedes of this fair earth! It is no sad truth that this should be our home. the metaphysical speculations on Eros. Were it but to give us simple shelter, simple clothing, simple food, We shall presently try to recapture the full content of his adding the lily and the rose, the apple and the pear, it would be a fit home for mortal or immortal man." speculations. Sean O'Casey, Sunset and Evening Star se See Anders Nygren, Agape and Ero11 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953). r I I I CHAPTER SIX The Historical Limits of the Established Reality Principle The preceding analysis tried to identify certain basic trends in the instinctual structure of civilization and, par- ticularly, to define the specific reality principle which has governed the progress of Western civilization. We desig- nated this reality principle as the performance principle; and we attempted to show that domination and alienation, derived from the prevalent social organization of labor, de- termined to a large extent the demands imposed upon the instincts by this reality principle. The question was raised whether the continued rule of the performance principle as the reality principle must be taken for granted (so that the trend of civilization must be viewed in the light of the same principle), or whether the performance principle has perhaps created the preconditions for a qualitatively differ- ent, non-repressive reality principle. This question sug- gested itself when we confronted the psychoanalytical the- ory of man with some basic historical tendencies: ( 1) The very progress of civilization under the perform- ance principle has attained a level of productivity at which the social demands upon instinctual energy to be spent in alienated labor could be considerably reduced Conse- 130 EROS AND CIVILIZATION HISTORICAL LIMITS 131 quently, the continued organization of the in- torical) character of the reality principle. If sexuality is in stincts seems to be necessitated less by the "struggle for its very essence antisocial and asocial, and if existence" than by the interest in prolonging this struggle is the manifestation of a primary instinct, then the idea of -by the interest in domination. a non-repressive reality principle would be nothing but idle ( 2) The representative philosophy of Western civiliza- speculation. j tion has developed a concept of reason which contains the Freud's instinct theory indicates the direction in which domineering features of the performance principle. How- the problem must be examined. The performance prin- ever, the same philosophy ends in the vision of a higher ciple enforces an integrated repressive organization of sexu- form of reason which is the very negation of these features ality and of the destruction instinct. Therefore, if the his- -namely, receptivity, contemplation, enjoyment. Behind torical process tended to make obsolete the institutions of the definition of the subject in terms of the ever transcend- the performance principle, it would also tend to make obso- ing and productive activity of the ego lies the image of the lete the organization of the instincts- that is to say, to re- redemption of the ego: the coming to rest of all transcend- lease the instincts from the constraints and diversions re- ence in a mode of being that has absorbed all becoming, quired by the performance principle. This would imply that is for and with itself in all otherness. the real possibility of a gradual elimination of surplus-repres- The problem of the historical character and limitation of sion, whereby an expanding area of destructiveness could the ·performance principle is of decisive importance for be absorbed or neutralized by strengthened libido. Evi- Freud's theory. We have seen that he practically identifies dently, Freud's theory precludes the construction of any the established reality principle (i.e., the performance prin- psychoanalytical utopia. If we accept his theory and still ciple) with the reality principle as such. Consequently, his maintain that there is historical substance in the idea of a dialectic of civilization would lose its finality if the per- non-repressive civilization, then it must be derivable from formance principle revealed itself as only one specific histori- Freud's instinct theory itself. His concepts must be ex- cal form of the reality principle. Moreover, since Freud amined to discover whether or not they contain elements also identifies the historical character of the instincts with that require reinterpretation. This approach would paral- their " nature," the relativity of the performance principle lel the one used in the preceding sociological discussion. would even affect his basic conception of the instinctual There, the attempt was made to " read off" the ossification dynamic between Eros and Thanatos: their relation and of the performance principle from the historical conditions its development would be different under a different reality which it has created; presently, we shall try to " read off" principle. Conversely, Freud's instinct theory provides from the historical vicissitudes of the instincts the possibil- one of the strongest arguments against the relative (his- ity of their non-repressive development. Such an approach 133 EROS AND CIVILIZATION HISTORICAL LIMITS " 1 33 implies a critique of the established reality principle in the two levels: (a) the phylogenetic-biological level, the devel- name of the pleasure principle-a re-evalution of the an- opment of the animal man in the strugglC? with nature; tagonistic relation that has prevailed between the two di- and (b) the sociological level, the development of civilized mensions of the human existence. individuals and groups in the struggle among themselves Freud maintains that an essential conflict between the and with their environment. The two levels are in constant two principles is inevitable; however, in the elaboration and inseparable interaction, but factors generated at the of his theory, this inevitability seems to be opened to ques- second level are exogenous to the first and have therefore a tion. The conflict, in the form it assumes in civilization, is different weight and validity (although, in the course of the said to be caused and perpetuated by the prevalence of development, they can " sink down " to the first level) : Ananke, Lebensnot, the struggle for existence. (The later they are more relative; they can change faster and without stage of the instinct theory, with the concepts of Eros endangering or reversing the development of the genus. and death instinct, does not cancel this thesis: Lebensnot This difference in the origin of instinctual modification un- now appears as the want and deficiency inherent in organic derlies the distinction we have introduced between repres- life itself.) The struggle for existence necessitates the re- sion and surplus-repression; 1 the latter originates and is sus- pressive modification of the instincts chiefly because of the tained at the sociological level. lack of sufficient means and resources for integral, painless Freud is well aware of the historical element in man's in- and tailless gratification of instinctual needs. If this is true, stinctual structure. In discussing religion as a specific his- the repressive organization of the instincts in the struggle torical form of •• illusion," he adduces against himself the for existence would be due to exogenous factors - exoge- argument: •• Since men are so slightly amenable to reason- nous in the sense that they are not inherent in the " na- able arguments, so completely are they ruled by their in- ture " of the instincts but emerge from the specific his- stinctual wishes, why should one want to take away from torical conditions under which the instincts develop. Ac- them a means for satisfying their instincts and replace it cording to Freud, this distinction is meaningless, for the by reasonable arguments?" And he answers: "Certainly instincts themselves are •• historical "; 1 there is no instinc- men are like this, but have you asked yourselves whether tual structure •• outside " the historical structure. How- they need be so, whether their inmost nature necessitates ever, this does not dispense with the necessity of making it? " 1 However, in his theory of instincts, Freud does not the distinction -except that it must be made within the draw any fundamental conclusions from the historical dis- historical structure itself. The latter appears as stratified on tinction, but ascribes to botl1 levels equal and general valid· 2 See page 37 above. 1 See, for example, Beyond the Plet1SUTB Principk (New York: a The Future of an IUusion (New York: L1venght Publishing Corp., right Publishing C01:p., 19 so), PP· 47• 49· 1949), p.