Purpose And Crux Of Baudrillard's Critical Theory Of Consumer Society

“Consumer society presents a psychological or sentimental description of the more appropriate,that is,the consumption of society as a besieged,rich and threatened Jerusalem.” In this statement of Baudrillard,he deeply embodies his critique of the whole society,culture and individual disorientation in the contemporary consumer society.Baudrillard,known as the "prophet of consumer society",is one of the important figures in the system of social theory of consumer society.Since the beginning of the 20 th century,the western developed capitalist countries have begun to enter the consumer society,and as the globalization process intensifies,consumer society has become a universal social reality.In fact,from the beginning of the consumer society,the criticism of the consumer society has never stopped.As one of the important representative figures of the critical thought of capitalist consumption society,Baudrillard's intense critique,profound thought and unique critical view are not neglected by any research on the theory of Consumption society.Moreover,the theory of consumer social criticism is an important part of the early thoughts of Baudrillard,and the research on the symbolic control theory in the consumption society is an important part of the further study of the philosophical thoughts of Baudrillard,and also the important theoretical reference for the current correct response to the consumption era.As a controversial philosopher,Baudrillard did absorb the theory of Marxist on the one hand,but on the other hand,he criticized Marxism's production and consumption theory and historical materialism.In Marxist philosophy,production is closely related to consumption,and Marx is very concerned about the role of production,and he believes that production has driven the continuity and progress of society.He believes that both production and consumption are the process of dialectical unification,production determines consumption,and consumption has a dynamic reaction to production.Consumption is the result of production,and the realization of consumption represents the completion of production.Marx's theory of production and consumption,especially his theory of consumption alienation,had an important influence on the idea of Baudrillard.But in Baudrillard's mind,it is believed that consumption has overtaken production,and society has become a consumer society dominated by consumption.First,Baudrillard reveals the relationship between consumption and commodities in consumer society,pointing out that consumption has become the means of manipulation of capitalist ideology.Baudrillard suggested that the consumption of objects had replaced production,and that the consumption of this kind of material was increasingly becoming the consumption of symbolic system.Consumption combined with mass media technology to induce consumers to make false consumption,become the means of division class,and ultimately led to the loss of individuality in the consumer society,cultural loss,the lack of democracy.Third,Baudrillard embodies the ethos of postmodernism,his critique of modernity is more radical and radical,and the critique of modern consumer society is more damaging.Baudrillard's affirmation of the manipulation of society as a whole has cast doubt on everything in modern society,suggesting that society has become an abstract world manipulated by symbols and codes.This kind of radical criticism and transcendence is the essence of postmodern spirit.The theory of consumer social criticism in Baudrillard has been integrated into the theory of symbolic system,which has new implications for the criticism of the consumer society.Baudrillard criticized the production theory and historical materialism of Marxism with " the Mirror of Production",which led to his theory deviating from the scientific direction,and finally making its critique of capitalist ideology unsustainable.Secondly,the postmodern temperament which is difficult to get rid of in Baudrillard's thought is filled with the color of technology pessimism,and falls into the dilemma of the symbol decision.Baudrillard's critique of the symbolic and technical of the consumption society makes us profoundly understand the essence of the developed capitalist countries manipulating people and seeking the best benefits through consumption.Through the comprehensive analysis of Baudrillard's thought,we can see the enlightenment significance of Baudrillard's thoughts on the current social construction.To resist money worship and hedonism,and establish a rational concept of consumption;The construction of spiritual civilization should not be relaxed,and the standard of consumption culture and scientific guidance should be placed in the important position of social spiritual civilization construction.