Ideas
Needs shaped by society
In One-Dimensional Man (1964), Marcuse argued that society could teach people to want things that kept them tied to its rules. He called these false needs. A person might enjoy meeting a need while it still helped sustain exhausting work or injustice. [1], pp. 7–9
Who should decide which needs are false? Marcuse said people must ultimately decide for themselves, when free to do so. He also rejected a court or authority that claimed the right to decide for them. His argument still leaves a hard question: how do we judge when a person’s choice is free? This is our assessment, with moderate confidence. [1], pp. 8–9
Work, desire and control
In Eros and Civilization (1955), Marcuse separated basic limits on desire from limits that served those in power. He called the added limits surplus repression. His performance principle described the social rules that shaped people for a particular way of working and living. He argued that these rules had a history and could change. [5], ch. 2, PDF pp. 30–31
Unequal tolerance
In “Repressive Tolerance” (1965), Marcuse argued for tolerance of movements on the Left and denial of tolerance to movements on the Right. He said no existing power could carry out his proposed form of tolerance. In a 1968 interview, he described limits aimed at movements he saw as destructive, such as Nazism. Both statements matter when judging his position on speech. [6], pp. 109–111; [7], pp. 103–104
His proposal gives political judgment a large role in deciding who may speak. We assess that this creates a risk of suppressing opponents while claiming to protect freedom. Confidence is moderate because the texts establish the proposal, while evidence of later use requires a separate inquiry. [6], pp. 109–111