A contemporary interpretation of Marx’s thoughts on modernity

Abstract

Unlike some western scholars who limit their interpretation of modernity and its source to conceptual, cultural, value, and psychological dimensions, Marx pointed out that modernity came mainly from modern production system. Starting from the historical context of his time, Marx explored various aspects of modernity and pointed out that modernity was inherent in the logic of capital, resided in the process of historical evolution, arose in social conflicts and segmentation, and presented itself in a global horizon. The logic of capital, the historical viewpoint, the theory of contradiction and a global perspective are fundamental in Marx s analysis of the problems of modernity. Marx s ideas of modernity are methodologically significant to the construction of modernity in contemporary Chinese society.

Keywords

modernity, modern production, the logic of capital, predicament of modernity