Labor Alienation and Consumption Alienation: Comparison and Contemporary Value of Alienation Theory of Marx and Baudrillard

本文对比分析了马克思的劳动异化理论与鲍德里亚的消费异化理论，探讨二者的异同及其当代价值。马克思从生产领域出发，揭示了资本主义制度下劳动者与劳动产品、劳动过程、类本质及人际关系的异化，强调经济基础的决定性作用。鲍德里亚则聚焦后工业社会的消费领域，提出符号价值取代使用价值的消费异化现象，批判符号体系对人的操控。二者的共同点在于均关注人的本质异化与资本主义批判，差异体现在异化领域——生产与消费和批判逻辑——政治经济学与符号文化上。研究认为，马克思的历史唯物主义仍具现实指导意义，鲍德里亚的理论对反思当代消费主义具有警示作用。面对数字时代的新异化形式，应辩证借鉴两种理论，树立理性消费观念，推动人的自由全面发展。This paper compares Marx’s theory of labor alienation with Baudrillard’s theory of consumption alienation, examining their similarities, differences, and contemporary relevance. Marx focused on the production sphere, revealing how capitalism alienates workers from their labor products, the labor process, their species-being, and social relationships, emphasizing the determinative role of the economic base. In contrast, Baudrillard shifted the focus to the consumption sphere in post-industrial society, arguing that symbolic value replaces use value, and critiqued the manipulation of individuals by sign systems. Both theories share a concern for human alienation and a critical stance toward capitalism, but differ in their domains (production vs. consumption) and critical logics (political economy vs. semiotic culture). The study concludes that Marx’s historical materialism remains a vital tool for contemporary critique, while Baudrillard’s insights offer warnings about consumerism. In the digital age, new forms of alienation necessitate a dialectical approach to both theories, advocating rational consumption and human liberation.