Comparative Study On Giddens, Habermas's Historical Materialism Critical

Paper is in the context of modern research. With the development of modernity, the risks of modernity are increasing. In the early phase of modernity, Marx created revolutionary historical materialism as a response to the risk of modernity. With the development of the times, there are some new changes in the scope of the original theory, the famous thinkers, sociologist Anthony Giddens and Habermas are particularly concerned with this situation. They were critical of historical materialism respective, and on this basis to present their social theory. This paper intends to deepen understanding of the risks of modernity through analyzing their criticism, the purposes is Highlight the value of Marx's historical materialism by contrasting their method.Paper mainly discussed the emergence of modernity and the response of Historical materialism with it; Giddens and Habermas's critique of historical materialism by two levels, which are the theoretical premise of historical materialism and the specific content; after that, they present their social theory as they response to the risk of modernity, which is Giddens' utopian realistic ideas and Habermas's Communicative rationality. The two were compared.Giddens, Habermas's critique of historical materialism do not fundamentally understand the Marxist historical materialism, they misread the historical materialism, reconstruction on the basis of misunderstanding is unreasonable; Giddens and Habermas's social theory --- the utopian realism, communicative rationality is a social improvement in real terms rather than revolution, so they can not fundamentally solve the risk of modernity and solve the crisis of capitalism. This paper argues that Marx's response to modernity risk is a complete response based on the revolutionary premise. In today's age of taking capital logic as the basic existence facts, Marxism still has unsurpassable theory vision and undeniable contemporary value.