Research On The Core Terms Of Daniel Bell’s The Cultural Contradictions Of Capitalism

Faustian spirit is the main problem that has arose wide concern and discussion in the academic circle.And Daniel Bell,who is a well-known ideologist and sociologist in America,reinterpret the Faustian spirit of Geothe’s Faust Combining the era and his own theoretical background in his work of The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism.The paper abstracts three groups of nine core terms from the book to discuss what is Faustian Spirit in Bell’s view,and how he assesses and resolves the problem.He asserts that Faust is the first modern man who tirelessly pursuits two contradictory things at the same,the self-infinitizing spirit and a life of novelty and hedonism.In Faust’s whole life,on the one hand he aspires God-like knowledge to transcend the finiteness of man.On the other hand,he unlimitedly desires the pleasure and novelty in the secular society.So,Bell considers the Faust’s dilemma is not only himself but also human living in modern society.They arrogantly pursuit all of things to achieve of perfection in the individual.It has reached the point of no goodness and nothing scared.Bell believes that the situation is closely related to the decay of religion which had been the main way of explaining the world in the last 100 years.Then supreme self becomes the only standard to guide our actions when the force of religion is diminished.However,modern human beings cannot control themselves after going up the point of God and fall into a deeper crisis in the human spirit,the fear of nothingness.Material consumption and hedonism become the important aims in modern human’s life.Bell insists that this life like Proteus instead of Prometheus is unpredictable and miserable.Because it pursuits so much novelty that cut apart the relation of its past and cannot identify self in life.Out of respecting of tradition and authority,Bell expect some religious answer,“Fiscal Sociology” Bell called,coming to resolve the increasingly prominent dilemma of Faust and modern human.In the end,the paper summarizes Bell’s theory characteristics and evaluates his analysis to Faustian spirit.