Monument and Revolt: The Problem of the Classic in Gadamer and Marcuse ​

This work intends to investigate the theme of the “classical” in Gadamer and Marcuse, which offers itself as a theoretical framework to argue the methodological differences and the encounter between the two philosophies. The transversal theme of the “classical” highlights the themes of truth, historicity, and the political-cultural value of art, opening critical instances of reflection both on the theme of tradition and on the theme of openness and the possibility of alternatives. Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and Marcuse’s critical theory highlight the theme of dialectics and the negative, contributing to conceiving the classical as a dialogical experience of otherness and of the setting-into-work of truth. To focus attention on the classical means to highlight these themes, in order to unite the hermeneutic and critical perspective as a theory for liberation, moving from understanding to a relation with truth that changes those who experience it. Gadamer’s thought presents the classical as a normative instance, delivered to history as truth that remains present in the form of a monument. Far from being a form of traditionalism, the monument will prove to be intrinsically linked to the activity of critique, which gives meaningfulness to every understanding. Marcuse’s position highlights the critical character of the literary work, which always establishes itself as opposition to the predetermined state of affairs. The denomination of “classical” appears in this perspective as an uncritical definition, since it empties the work of its negative character by reconciling the artistic work with the oppressive power of the “technological rationality of capitalist society.” Both perspectives meet on a vision of truth that requires the presence of otherness to be communicable, thus offering an important component to constitute a “two-dimensional” thought. What determines art and the classical is its disorienting capacity, which pushes the recipient to confront a truth set into work by the artwork, which opens a new totality, a World, that escapes the logics of domination. The classical as an “aesthetic form” shows within itself a totality of meaning that escapes the rational technological control of the “affluent society,” since its content is exempt from the logics of consumption and directly and critically exposes the repressive instances. What allows for the unification of the perspectives of the two authors is the common philosophical influence, constituted by Heidegger, Hegel—particularly the emphasis on the negative—and historicism. Both Gadamer and Marcuse present a profound influence from Heidegger’s essay On the Origin of the Work of Art, as a setting-into-work of truth. The work opens a World, a totality of meaning, in its conflict with the Earth. In this dynamic, an unveiling of truth takes place. The work, therefore, constitutes a “transmutation into form of the real,” enriching reality with a production and totality of meaning not reducible to the Earth from which it emerges, thus offering itself as a multidimensionality that contests the one-dimensional capitalist society, in which the possibilities of alternatives are repressed. The artwork in its broadest concept is therefore not a monolithic traditionalism that carries with it an immutable truth, but a mirror on otherness that transmutes reality into possible alternative instances. ​