Critical consciousness without a material base cannot change society

Evidence

But precisely this absolute need does not prevail where it could become the driving force of a historical practice, the effective cause of qualitative change. Without this material force, even the most acute consciousness remains powerless. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 877

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Social being determines consciousness, not the reverse — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2495; Material conditions beyond voluntary control determine how people come to consciousness. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 886; Critical theory ignoring material improvements itself becomes a fetish — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 1417 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Material conditions beyond voluntary control determine how people come to consciousness. #corroborates (0.97) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 886
• Social being determines consciousness, not the reverse #corroborates (0.95) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2495