Marcuse retained a faith in reason’s realization that the others lacked.

Evidence

It would be difficult to say the same for the third of the Institut’s major theoreticians, Herbert Marcuse. Despite the consistent emphasis on negativity in his work and the pessimism often attributed to it, Marcuse’s writing always contained an implicit faith in the possible realization of Vernunfi in the social world. Late nineteenthcentury Lebensphilosophie seems to have influenced him less than it did Horkheimer. As Jurgen Habermas has noted, Marcuse was far more receptive to twentieth-century philosophy than were the Institut’s other philosophical thinkers. His experiences with Husserl and Heidegger stayed with him, although their influence was much diminished during his years with the Institut. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 271

Categorization

• XREF: Explains why Marcuse later became the Frankfurt School figure most influential on 1960s student radicalism — his latent optimism about realizing reason socially. — connects to: Marcuse argued individual happiness requires the universal attainment of positive freedom — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 238; Marcuse’s central commitment was belief in the primacy of correct theory over practice. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 295; Marcuse’s rationalism and identity-thinking delayed his engagement with psychoanalysis — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 365 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Marcuse argued individual happiness requires the universal attainment of positive freedom #expands (0.75) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 238
• Marcuse’s central commitment was belief in the primacy of correct theory over practice. #corroborates (0.72) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 295
• Marcuse’s rationalism and identity-thinking delayed his engagement with psychoanalysis #expands (0.72) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 365