A Rational Reflection On The Value Of The Internet

The value of science and technology has always been a significant issue for Marxist research. Marx, the founder of Marxism, considered that science and technology are revolutionary forces which promote the advancement of human history. Actually, these forces advance not only the society but also Marxism.Human beings is now owning a new technology—network technique, which is extremely significant to human development. The development and employment of this technique give rise to an innovation, internet, which connects the whole world. It has so greatly altered the track of human development in the past few decades that people have to exclaim for the arrival of the Network Age. The impacts of the internet on society attest to Marxist perspective on science and technology. But internet also brings forward a series of new issues for Marxism to solve. Among them, the value of the internet is undoubtedly one which merits most attention, for what value internet embodies and whether it is positive or negative will directly influence the development of the internet as well as the orientation of human society. Therefore, the value of the internet is a strategic issue for research as emerged in this era. Marxism has to reflect on and find answers to it, for the sake of its self-evolution.In this thesis, it is argued that the value of the internet is not monadic but of a complex system. According to the different needs internet can meet of people, the value of the internet can be classified into material, spiritual and humanistic. Based on its impact, the value of the internet can be divided into positive and negative. In previous studies, people normally focus on one aspect of the value of the internet. This will easily lead to one-sided construal of the internet. What's worse, these false "popular" theories have been adopted to analyze the value of the internet and therefore produce false conclusions. Certainly, this will not help people to gain a clearer understanding of the value of the internet. Instead it will make people confused and bewildered.Hence, through a critical analysis of previous studies and with the guidance of Marxist philosophy on science and technology, this thesis conducts a comprehensive and rational investigation into the complex value system of the internet. We look into both material, spiritual and humanistic values. We also examine positive and negative values. Only through such a comprehensive investigation can we make a pertinent judgment on the value of the internet and can people's confusion with the internet be removed. Only in this way can we point the internet to ways in which it can be further developed and can better serve human beings as well as social development.