A life without fear

A negative-metaphysical refection on the concept of death in Herbert Marcuse

Abstract

EN | Abstract
The essay deals with a central problem in Herbert Marcuse's Critical Theory: the concept of death. The concept of death will be reflected in a negative-metaphysical way with theoretical attention to a manuscript Marcuse wrote in 1933 with the title Gedanken zu einer »negativen Metaphysik«. In contrast to Heidegger's metaphysics of death, the essay will expose Marcuse's metaphysical and materialistic interpretation of death situated in a specific historical horizon, while at the same time elaborating the central sentence of the ›Gedanken‹-manuscript. In the end Jean Améry's concept of free death will be compared with Marcuse's thoughts on death.