Technology and Creativity: A Study of Herbert Marcuse Theory of Aesthetic Liberation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14824414Keywords:
aesthetic liberation, creativity, herbert marcuse, digital technology, creative autonomyAbstract
The following essay discusses the changing role of technology in various art forms, focusing on its impact on the artist's autonomy. As digital tools and platforms become increasingly essential to artistic creation, they present new opportunities and challenges for creative expression. The paper examines how technology has transformed traditional mediums such as painting and sculpture, giving rise to entirely new digital art, virtual reality, and AI-generated works. While technology has democratized artmaking, enabling broader participation and innovation, it also raises questions about an artist's autonomy and originality in an age of algorithmic assistance. By analyzing the theoretical perspectives of prominent thinkers – especially Herbert Marcuse – this essay aims to understand how artists navigate the balance between creative control and external specialized influence, ultimately questioning whether technology enhances or reduces an artist's autonomy. This discussion contributes to broader debates on the future of art in a rapidly changing and highly digitized world.
When we examine the value of an art form in the human cognitive process, it is relevant to compare it with the scientific cognitive process. An art form involves a cognitive elaboration of facts, where an artist expresses their innermost feelings: the creative process can serve as a tool for both art and propaganda. Although propaganda potentiates social realities, its power in this aspect often depends on the artistry. If art is to enhance understanding genuinely, it must do more than assert itself as propaganda does: instead, it must secure belief through reflective understanding.
In contrast to the process of scientific inquiry, a work of art is a creative expression that can enhance and illuminate day-to-day experiences. Thus, artistic cognition is a powerful medium that makes an art form more valuable than any materialistic objects of pleasure and provides a better understanding of the human experience. If a reality depicted by an art form is deeply rooted in human experience, there is a danger of a technology-driven art form which may completely alter the uniqueness of this experience. Thus, this study examines the factors that significantly contribute to the inherent part of the human creative process and those that are detrimental to it.
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