Restricting analysis to prevalent behavior makes philosophy inherently affirmative

Evidence

In terms of the established universe, such contradicting modes of thought are negative thinking. “The power of the negative” is the principle which governs the development of concepts, and contradiction becomes the distinguishing quality of Reason (Hegel). This quality of thought was not confined to a certain type of rationalism; it was also a decisive element in the empiricist tradition. Empiricism is not necessarily positive; its attitude to the established reality depends on the particular dimension of experience which functions as the source of knowledge and as the basic frame of reference. For example, it seems that sensualism and materialism are per se negative toward a society in which vital instinctual and material needs are unfulfilled. In contrast, the empiricism of linguistic analysis moves within a framework which does not allow such contradiction—the self-imposed restriction to the prevalent behavioral universe makes for an intrinsically positive attitude. In spite of the rigidly neutral approach of the philosopher, the pre-bound analysis succumbs to the power of positive thinking. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 646

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘negative thinking’ via Hegel’s power of the negative versus the positivist restriction to established behavior.
• XREF: Connects to Gadamer and hermeneutic tradition on prejudice and the closedness of linguistic horizons; also echoes chapter IV’s therapeutic empiricism of sociology cited by Marcuse himself. — connects to: Philosophy’s task is resisting the status quo’s suggestive compulsion; Philosophy works by replacing one common sense with another aligned to the ruling group — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507

Broader Connections

• Philosophy’s task is resisting the status quo’s suggestive compulsion #complicates (0.75)
• Philosophy works by replacing one common sense with another aligned to the ruling group #complicates (0.72) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1507