Consumption and Social Responsibility:A Dilemma of Polarized Opposition Between Interests and Morality and Its Solution
In the context of increasingly severe environmental and ecological problems and the gap between the rich and the poor,the development of socially responsible consumption as a response to these problems is attracting more and more academic attention and discussion.However,the tradition of the dualistic opposition between interests and morality in the academic circles,as well as the obvious economism tendency of modern consumer society,still make us have a deep-rooted economism bias against consumption,which brings difficulties and challenges to the development of socially responsible consumption as a fusion of interests and morality.In fact,informed by anthropological insights and an analysis of the evolution of modern consumer society,it can be seen that consumption has never been just an economic activity purely pursues interests and satisfies individual needs,but also a social activity closely related to institutions,culture,and ethics,and consumption is not limited to the purchase process,it is a complex process involving commodification and de-commodification,therefore,consumption always has a interests aspect and a morality aspect,which is a combination of the two.By restoring the morality aspect of consumption,we can find that enterprises,consumers and the state,as the three major sources of consumer morality,play their respective roles in the formation and development of socially responsible consumption.However,the two major models of socially responsible consumption development in Western society are fraught with limitations.The'principlism'model,which staunchly resists market principles,has thus far had a minimal impact.Conversely,the'conciliationism'model,which underscores market-driven principles and the reciprocal dynamics between businesses and consumers,frequently succumbs to commercialism's influence,leading to unintended consequences such as accusations of"green washing"or"ethical washing".Based on this,paying attention to the role of the state in promoting socially responsible consumption is another possibility worth looking forward to for China,which has a"strong state"tradition and is vigorously advocating"ecological civilization"and"common prosperity".
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