This book describes the formation of civilized society from the perspective of the analysis of the role played by language and media and hence explains the formation and evolution of the capitalist society from the perspective of language and media. It argues that linguistic presentations given by using language serve as a basis for humans to define the private property right, to engage in market exchange, to establish wage labor system, to exploit science and technology in production, and to organize socialized production. It clarifies the reason for the distinction between the rich and the poor in the capitalist society in a special way against Marx's theory of surplus value and asserts that the wage labor system is a cooperative system. It also discusses the relations of social classes and the relations between democracy and dictatorship as well as the origin of the state from the perspective of language and media different from Marx's view in these respects. This view may help humans deepen their understanding of capitalism.

Xing Yu, a former political scientist, worked in two universities in the People's Republic of China from 1980s to 1990s. He is the author of the following two books: Language and State: An Inquiry into the Progress of Civilization, Second Edition published by Friesen Press in 2021 and Language and State: A Theory of the Progress of Civilization, Second Edition published by Friesen Press in 2022. Arguments advanced by these two books serve as a theoretical basis for the writing of this book The Capitalist Society: A Critique of Marx's Economic and Political Theory.