Baudrillard Critical Theory

With discussing the theory of human needs, the article tries to reconsider Baudrillard's theory of the consumer society critically, and constructs the theory of human needs on the base of Marxism.The first chapter reviews the basic dimension of Marx's theory of human needs, and points out that the materialism premise of Marx's theory of human needs is the realistic individual and the material life which they create. Needs of realistic individual are multi-level, and along with society's development, they will represent different historical forms. Marx reveals the theory of human needs'dissimilation status in early capitalism: both the worker and the capitalist's needs are all twisted.The second chapter through the explanations of many literature, such as"the Mirror of Production","the Consumer Society", analyzes Baudrillard's subversion to Marx's theory of human needs'philosophy foundation: Production logic of Marx is another expression of the capitalist society ,so Marx is unable to go out of the capitalism's political economy frame. Therefore, Baudrillard thinks the theory substitutes political economy critique theory for symbol-exchange, and he calls it"semeiology political economy critique"which corresponds the post-industry society's new consume.The third chapter reconsiders critically to Baudrillard's theory of human needs: Baudrillard makes a deep criticism of people's illusive needs in contemporary capitalist society, but he does not give the criterion of the real needs. At the same time, he expends his theories about the consumer society basically in the negative significance, therefore, he just believes the symbol control the human,but ignores the human activity which behinds the symbol. He suggests resisting symbol control with death and silence. This is against Marxism, for it breaks away from history, and ignores the present. As a whole , although Baudrillard's theory of human needs deviates to Marxism, he gives us an important enlightenment for his multi-dimension inspection of consumer society's needs in contemporary capitalist society, especially the understanding about the process of consume and the symbol significance.The fourth chapter reveals the practical significance on criticizing Baudrillard's theory of human needs on the basic of inspecting the Chinese real need and the approach to realize.