A Study Of Baudrillard’s Theory Of Consumer Society

China is at the key node of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.Therefore,it has become particularly important to strengthen the soft power of culture,especially the comprehensive level of philosophy and social sciences,in the face of the new situation of clash,exchange,mixture and confrontation among various kinds of cultures and thoughts,both at home and abroad.Concerning the problem of consumption,Marx has made a comprehensive examination and analysis,which not only clarifies the internal unity of the macro-level of production and consumption,but also establishes the basic foundation of research and theoretical perspective for the theoretical circle.After the Second World War,modern capitalism has gradually completed the realistic construction of the consumer society,giving unprecedented prominence to the controlling role of consumption,which has become the core step and basic form of organizing society.In response to the new changes in the modern capitalist world,the French thinker Jean Baudrillard,who has based his thinking on Marx’s theory of production and consumption,has made a detailed and in-depth investigation into the modern capitalist consumer society from a unique theoretical perspective,thus forming his theory of consumer society.Starting from the investigation of "objects",Baudrillard’s consumer society theory clearly points out that neither real "objects" nor the real demand for using the "objects" exists in the modern capitalist consumer society,and that both of them are turned into "signs" in the process of consumption.Hidden behind the semiotic transformation process is the triple fursorge strategy of the system of modern capitalist consumer society with the core of "demand","sign","simulation",and the double paradox which consists of the paradox between personalized consumption logic and undifferentiated production as well as the paradox between universal freedom and the loss of liberating signifier.Baudrillard’s theory of consumer society has revealed to us the tragic process of human beings’ constantly sinking into the simulated space of the sea of sign.But as a thinker who embraces humanism,instead of merely making the theoretical explanation of the modern capitalist consumer society,Baudrillard has devoted himself to exploring a better way to break the control of the system of modern capitalist consumer society.Therefore,he turned his attention to the "Symbolic" which has been lost in modern society,hoping to end value calculation with symbolic exchange,to replace signified sign with anagram,and to break the authority of media discourse with mass silence,so as to get rid of the shackles of the system and restore the true freedom.Baudrillard’s consumer society theory is of great importance to semiotic interpretation of the modern capitalist consumer society.It also provides a new theoretical perspective for understanding,grasping and investigating the modern capitalist consumer society.Therefore,it can be said that Baudrillard’s consumer society theory has considerable theoretical validity.However,Baudrillard’s theory of consumer society is based on the wrong understanding of Marxism.This mistake makes Baudrillard’s consumer society theory fail to correctly understand human beings as the real subject,let alone find the realistic way to transcend the consumer society,although it attaches importance to the actual existence of modern people.Baudrillard’s consumer society theory has opened a door for investigating the consumer society.But if we seek to break through the degradation and attain transcendence,we must go back to Marxist philosophy.A systematic Marxist reflection on Baudrillard’s consumer society theory reveals that the essence of modern capitalist consumer society originates from the socially determined forms of commodity in capitalist social system,shows the special place of human beings’ essential presence in the unfolding of theory,clarifies that communism is the real road to break through the capitalist consumer society.