However, Marcuse equates political art to "revolutionary" art, and feels it is an important, even vital part of any culture. He writes, "The most revolutionary work of art will be, at the same time, the most esoteric, the most anti-collectivistic one, for the goal of the revolution is the free individual" (Marcuse 203). By the end of the essay, its inclusion makes sense, because Marcuse neatly ties in his beliefs about philosophy and society with the use of art as a means of expressing revolution or revolt. This section also includes quite a bit of French poetry, which was not translated, and this helped take away from the overall meaning of the piece. A translation would have given this essay even more impact. The final sections of the book include notes of thirty-three theses Marcuse was working on or had worked on, and letters to two of the philosophers who helped found the Frankfurt School. He did not always agree with these men, and the letters show that there were differences between some of them that could not be overcome. In fact, Marcuse's son Peter said re-reading some of the letters was painful for him, because he remembered strained relationships between his father and others. However, the letters here show a cordial, learned man who communicated well with others and took his work seriously. Including them in the book made it a bit more personal and appealing, while showing how important work was to Marcuse.

Clearly, the editor of this book knew Marcuse and his work quite well,...

These essays were all unpublished before this book was available, and they give great insight into the author, his beliefs, and what was happening in the world at the time. In fact, many seem as relevant today as they were when Marcuse first wrote them, which is the mark of fine writing and a good mind as well. As for researching the work, Kellner had to weed through thousands of documents in order to find just the right ones to include in this work, and his choices are enlightening and thought provoking.
In conclusion, this book may be over the head of many readers, but it is a fascinating look at technology and how it adds to war in the author's opinion. It is also interesting to note that many of the essays were written 50+ years ago, but are still relevant today. It seems there will always be nations and leaders who want to take advantage of others, and there will always be strife in the world. History proves this, and so do Marcuse's essays.

References

Marcuse, Herbert, and Franz Neumann. "Theories of Social Change." Technology, War, and Fascism. Ed. Douglas Kellner. Vol. 1. London: Routledge, 1998. 107-137.

Marcuse, Herbert. Technology, War, and Fascism. Ed. Douglas Kellner. Vol. 1. London: Routledge, 1998.