Bowman Reflection Of The Social Theories Of Modernity

Bauman criticizes the ambition of order of modernity----after puttingforward the concept of liquid modernity, he name correspondingly this modernity for solid modernity. Under the condition of modernity, intellectuals is legislator, power/knowledge gives modernity a great energy, and arouses thoroughly the ambition of modernity, the first is ratioal design and pursuit for the order of society. Just because of the pursuit, Holocaust becames probable, modernity is the essential condition. Classification is way to pursue order, but confusion is just the twin of classification, ambivalence is byproduct of modernity. Jew, the strange of modernity, specially the essence of tnem, experience and observe the ambivalence. It is seen that Bauman criticize the modernity as tne Enlightenment from the contrast with other philosophical, sociological and article discourse of modernity. But Bauman pay more attention to the dimension of ethics and morality, which leads to research to postmodern ethics and morality. After criticizing the modernity, Bauman devote himself to the study of postmodernity. He set forth the meaning of postmodernity form three facets: the role of intellectuals, state of mind and condition of society. The role of intellectuals have changed from legislator to interpretor;the state of mind of postmodernity is a constructive destroy;the postmodern condition of society is more different than that of the modern, is a independent era having its characteristics. Bauman holds that althought the intellectuals have losed the position of legislator, should not be satisfactory to be an interpretor. So sociology should not only imtate society, but should explain society. Thus, Bauman advocate a sociology of postmodernity, not a postmodern sociology, using a set of new category different from that of modernity to explain society today. Bauman think of that postmodern society bring out ethical crisis, but it also provide the chance for the reviving of morality. In accord with "duty for others" of Levinas, Bauman advance the suggestion of ethics, and think of that the reviving of morality need the great efforts of individual and society(specially politics). Because of some consideration, later Bauman thoroughly replace the concept of "postmodernity" by the concept of "liquid modernity" , and under the topic of liquid modernity analyse detailedly the society today. Consumerism is a core concept to describe the society,which is a consumer society,not producer society of solid modernity. Comsumption moulds people' s life in all fields. Globalization is another important social event influencing people' s life. Bauman holds that globalization is mainly the globalization of economic, politics not only have not globalized , but localized. Local politics give the global economic authorities many powers, politics become the local police of economic. Consumerism and globalization make a common effect: increasingly individualizing. Life become the choice of consumer, they must bear all consequences that choice bring about. Because politics lose power, public matter can not come into, private matter invades public space. Community has losed the original meanings, it not only can not resolve questions, but also is sometimes the cause of question. Liquid society produce undetermination, unsafety and irreliablity, which are beared mainly by individual, that make common anxiety and uneasy. Bauman holds the main way to resolve the question of liquid society is to restore the power of politics by reconstructing the "individual/public" space, he advocates a new republicanism.As a global question,it can only be resolved in the global level. Tracing the concept of modernity back to Baudelair, we find that Bauman' s criticism of solid modernity and liquid modernity is the criticism of two sides of the modernity' s ambivalence. So, that Bauman is a modernity theorist is better than that Bauman is a postmodernity theorist, even then he is forever a critic of society. This is also his duty as a intellectual prescribed by himself. This is also consistent with his definition of socialism, so he is willing to die as a socialist.