▁abstra ction ▁had ▁its ▁orig ins ▁in ▁a ▁red irection ▁of ▁the ▁imp lications ▁of ▁both ▁the ▁critique ▁of ▁technology ▁by ▁figures ▁like ▁Jacques ▁Ell ul ▁and ▁the ▁extension ▁of ▁its ▁range ▁by ▁Marshall ▁Mc Lu han . ▁Marx ' s ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁comm od ity , ▁particularly ▁as ▁re construct ed ▁by ▁Alfred ▁Sohn - R eth el , ▁cons olid ated ▁that ▁movement . ▁ ▁The ▁dominant ▁social ▁contradiction ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁no ▁longer ▁between ▁labour ▁and ▁capital , ▁but ▁between ▁deep - se ated ▁human ▁cultural ▁needs ▁ground ed ▁in ▁the ▁less ▁abstract ▁levels ▁of ▁life ▁and ▁the ▁drawing ▁of ▁ever - lar ger ▁areas ▁of ▁life ▁into ▁the ▁most ▁abstract ed , ▁and ▁instrument al ised ▁levels ▁of ▁life . ▁Contempor ary ▁life ▁was ▁held ▁to ▁be ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁w ides p read ▁err one ous ▁assumption ▁that ▁the ▁elements ▁of ▁social ▁life ▁– ▁identity ▁stability , ▁meaning , ▁co - oper ative ▁solid ar ity ▁– ▁could ▁be ▁' t aken - for - gr anted ' ▁and ▁would ▁surv ive ▁int act ▁through ▁any ▁process ▁of ▁techn ological ▁development . ▁ ▁A ▁re - rad ical ised ▁em anci pat ory ▁Left ▁would ▁thus ▁be ▁one ▁in ▁which ▁society ▁had ▁a ▁ref lex ive ▁relationship ▁to ▁different ▁levels ▁of ▁abstra ction , ▁maintain ing ▁all ▁in ▁a ▁dynamic ▁relationship ▁– ▁cru cial ▁to ▁which ▁was ▁an ▁over coming ▁of ▁the ▁split ▁between ▁intellectual ▁and ▁manual ▁labour ▁as ▁separate ▁class ▁and ▁cult ur ally ▁ground ed