On The Concept Of New Class And Reflection In Contemporary Western Society

The problem is a class problem which is common and special for all mankind as well as each nation. Class didn't appear until the development of productive forces had come to a certain stage; different class status in the social production of class decide the difference of class; economic inequality is the root of the class struggle; the high production development is the condition for demising classWith the development of capitalism in the human society on the condition of entering the new stage of the post-industrial society, the number of intellectuals engaged in different occupations rapidly increasing causes the class structure have experienced a great number of changes, intellectual group have play a more and more important role in the social life. In this case, a sociologist scholars called Irwin·Goodner in the United States represented a "new class" concept in the contemporary western society, holds that the intellectuals have cultural knowledge as their capital, and have the unique culture of critical discourse (CCD culture), are starting a struggle with the original control of the bourgeois in social and economic fields. In Goodner view, the old industrial relations no longer play a predominant role in post-industrial society; the cultural capital has replaced the old physical capital. At this point, the new class constituted by the human intellectual and technical intellectuals can become the voice of history, they are savior of mankind in the future and the center for the liberation of mankind, they will implement the government with characteristics of knowledge, rational and rule-based expertise."New class" thrown out is a class stern challenge against the concept of the Marxist theory, the author bases on the basic position of Marxism and starts with Marxist concept of capital, takes a in-depth analysis to the Goodner's concept of cultural capital, points out its vulnerabilities in his theory-cultural capital is a serious departure from Marxist concept of capital; and I take analysis with the classification of Marxist theory to the mistake that Goodner take culture as a standard to make class division, which gives a sound reply to the challenges of the new class theory. I think, first of all, Goodner so-called cultural capital is not the sense of Marx's Capital, for he make his understanding of the concept of generalization on a board sense so as to take culture as capital. Second, Marx and Engels uses the standard to divide classes based on the basis of historical materialism, they firmly grasp the most essential, decisive factor in various vertical differentiation, that is, people divide class by the possession of means of production class, while Goodner take culture capital and culture of critical discourse as the classification for class and devided intellectuals Group into a new independent class, which is obviously different with basic point of Marxist "social existence determines social consciousness "on a further sense, so as to lost into historical idealism. At the same time, we also affirmed the revolution, which is, new concept of class rooted in technology (technology development) gained rapid development is a positive, bold theoretical exploration, causing us to re-examine existed concept of class which spur us to take a deep thinking to the belonging of the class for intellectuals. But overall, I do not agree with the basic view differed from classical Marxist.