Marcuses Account of the Features and Significance of True and False N E

Modern capitalist society is the target of severe criticism in Herbert Marcuse's book, One-Dimensional Man. As one would hope, Marcuse's intent is not merely to point out the shortcomings of the present system. He further hopes to encourage change in the most basic features of society, and with the intent to effect change arises the question of what goals the proposed change is directed towards. Primary among his goals is the "development and satisfaction of human needs and faculties" (xliii). Which of the wide range of human faculties are worthy of development? This question obviously requires value judgments to be made; any answer will be highly subjective or very complex, and probably both subjective and complex. Instead, this paper will focus on the second problem raised by Marcuse's goal: the identification of human needs to be satisfied. In particular, we will examine his own standards for determining what human needs must be satisfied by a rational society. Marcuse assumes that not all of what have been called "needs" at one time or another are real necessities that a rational society need consider. Certain "vital needs" are beyond doubt, however. Those are the needs of human biology without which life cannot continue, and such needs seem clearly to be objectively determined by biological factors. The sheer misery that infects human life when adequate food, water, and protection from the elements are not available in itself would seem to give sufficient reason for a rational society to concern itself first with providing everyone with those bare necessities. It is generally taken for granted that human beings have needs beyond the mere sustenance of biological life. Some of those proposed needs border on the biological, such as "the need for health care." At the other extreme are needs with no physical component at all, such as "the needs for spiritual sustenance." How does Marcuse propose we evaluate these less objectively evident contenders? Overall, he takes an attitude of skepticism towards them. Marcuse writes that "human needs, beyond the biological level, have always been preconditioned" (4). The key concept in this sentence is "conditioned"; the conception of needs of this type are th... ...would rather eliminate upon reflection. For example, one can easily imagine someone realizing that her desire for Gap pants originated in advertisements, and deciding that she did not want this need impressed on her by the advertising industry. This incremental elimination of false needs would go at least partway towards Marcuse's ideal of liberation through the consciousness of one's own servitude. The resources freed up by individuals' abandonment of unwanted false needs could then be used towards satisfying the vital needs of others. This result is less complete of an improvement than Marcuse is arguing for; however, it is probably the greatest shift in individuals' conception of their own needs that can be accomplished given the inherently social nature of non-physical needs. Even with its ambitions diminished in this way, Marcuse's consideration of true and false needs shows how there is room for movement toward "the optimal development†¦of all individuals, under t he optimal utilization of the material and intellectual resources available to man" (6). All citations from: Marcuse, Herbert. One-Dimensional Man. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

CAUSES OF UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE An unhealthy lifestyle is one of the major contributor to health issue which is growing at an alarming rate issue in whole world as well. People influence their own health through their unhealthy lifestyles such as unhealthy diet,alcohol assumption and smoking and poor sleep hygiene. One of the critical causes is having an unhealthy diet. There is no doubt that the food that we eat significantly impact our health. The surge in the consumption of high fat foods can lead to compromised health and excessive weight.An unbalanced diet ensures the body can't gets the essential nutrients it needs to protects the body from certain diseases. In addition,alcohol consumption and smoking are the sources that lead to unhealthy lifestyle. Smoking is a harmful lifestyle as it seriously affect our health. In fact, Smoking may cause addict and hard to eliminate the habit . Too much intake of alcohol is not advisable. Drinking can be a slippery slope, as excessive drinkin g can cause problems in virtually every area of a person’s life.Futhermore,poor sleep hygiene is also major causes of unhealthy lifetyle which a large fraction of teenagers are involved in . Teenagers mostly spend their time staying in front of the computer all night long without sleeping. Slowly, they will mess up their time which is the opposite way and so even skip their breakfast . This situation clearly alert us that poor sleep hygiene will seriously affect our health . Unhealthy lifestyle of many today leads to poor health. Prevent is better than cure. As early as possible, we have to live a healthy lifestyle . (276 words)

Analysis Of Leona Tamarkin s Dear Lizzie Memoir Of A...

Leona Tamarkin’s Dear Lizzie: Memoir of a Jewish Immigrant Woman showcases the experiences of Leona when she was a young girl and woman, growing up in World War I and the later on the Great Depression. Leona wrote this piece for her family, as a testament of the story that was so hard for her to describe verbally without being visibly shaken, as well as the young girl that she once was, and had to grow up too fast. This can be said for any child or young person at that time, but Leona’s experience is unique in respect to her being female. Her experience will be vastly different than that of a young man in Eastern Europe, who is more than likely fighting on the front lines. Or that of a young boy or older man, trying to hold their homes together while the soldiers are away. Before war time there was an obvious distinction between women’s and men’s work. Often times, women didn’t work at all, or if they did it was from the home, supported by their husbands, and their earnings went directly into the household, not for their own enjoyment. Leona’s father, worked outside the home, and was only able to come home on the weekends. She goes on to explain what precisely her father’s job was: â€Å"My father was a railroad contractor. He had a crew of men that did repairing on his amount of millage† (Leona 24). As railroad contractor, her father watched over and instructed men, on what was to be done that day. Men were the main source of labor before World War I, and that did not change