鲍德里亚认为,物品成为某种文化符号从而使消费预期使用价值相分离乃是消费社会最重要的特征之一。其实在古代(例如中国西周时期的贵族社会)物品也同样具有“文化符号”的意义,只不过那是政治权力的产物而已。从这个意义上说,看上去“在消费面前人人平等”的消费社会较之任何一种物品都确证着使用者政治身份的古代社会是一种真正意义上的进步。在处处离不开金钱的消费社会,一个有着精神追求的知识分子如何自处呢?中国古代文化可以提供丰富的思想资源。 Baudrillard argues that the separation of the expected value of the consumer’s consumption into something culturally symbolic is one of the most important features of the consumer society. In fact, in ancient times (such as aristocracy in the Western Zhou Dynasty in China), items also have the meaning of “cultural symbols”, except that they are the product of political power. In this sense, the consumer society that appears to be “equal before consumption” is a real improvement over the ancient society in which any one item confirms the political status of the user. In a consumer society where money can not be separated from everywhere, how can an intellectual with a spiritual pursuit handle it? Ancient Chinese culture can provide a wealth of ideological resources.