The Manifestations and Sublation of Consumption Alienation: Focusing on Marcuse’s Theory of Alienation

在资本不断追逐利益的过程中，马克思惊奇地发现了社会运行背后的异化本质，开始从异化现象中的劳动异化出发对资本主义进行批判。马尔库塞作为一名西方马克思主义者，在继承马克思异化批判的基础上，从消费异化入手揭示了资本在科学技术的“帮助”下对社会的控制，使得整个社会呈现出单向度的局面。面对在消费异化影响下形成的单向度社会，马尔库塞的批判是多维度的，他既看到了劳动异化和技术滥用下的消费异化，又进一步远观地发现消费异化所带来的生态异化的后果。于是，马尔库塞提出要建立新感性和新型技术观以试图扬弃消费的异化。以马尔库塞消费异化理论为例，厘清马尔库塞理论对消费异化揭示并批判的过程，才能实现对消费异化的祛魅，建立健康的消费社会。In the process of capital’s relentless pursuit of profit, Marx astonishingly discovered the alienated essence underlying social operations and began his critique of capitalism starting from labor alienation within the phenomenon of alienation. As a Western Marxist, Herbert Marcuse, building upon Marx’s critique of alienation, revealed how capital, with the “assistance” of science and technology, controls society—resulting in a one-dimensional society. Faced with this one-dimensional society shaped by consumption alienation, Marcuse’s critique is multidimensional. He not only observed consumption alienation arising from labor alienation and technological abuse but also foresaw the ecological alienation caused by consumption alienation. Thus, Marcuse proposed establishing a new sensibility and a new technological outlook, aiming to transcend consumption alienation. Taking Marcuse’s theory of consumption alienation as an example, clarifying the process through which Marcuse’s theory reveals and critiques consumption alienation is essential for demystifying consumption alienation and establishing a healthy consumer society.