Modern Capitalism from the Perspective of Critical Theory of Society

Abstract

The author resolves a twofold task: to give essential characteristics of the modern society and to reveal the reasons for difficulties faced by the social theory while describing it. In this regard, structural and substantive shortcomings are revealed in the traditional class approach to social realit analysis as well as in competing stratum and network-based approaches. The discourse of ‘post-capitalism’ is critically evaluated. The concept of the capitalist essence of social relations dominating at present is deduced from the statement of an extremely high level of alienation characteristic for the modern technologically developed society. The notion of consumer society is conceptually tied to the matrix of capitalism and meaningfully clarified. The author’s central idea is that today we are dealing with authentic capitalism. It is a unipolar configuration with the only, i.e. ruling, class, in the center, and a declassed social mass in the vast periphery of the center. In overcoming the alienation and dictates of capital, an important role is assigned to the procedure of self-identification of individual.