Postmodern theory has problematized the concepts and concerns of Marxism with respect to socialist praxis. One of the most diligent examples of this engagement comes from Jean Baudrillard's simulation theory. Pronouncing the death of Marxist categories, such as depth and revolution, simulation theory offers an aleatory, indeterminate model of society where the real implodes into the hyperreal. With special attention to the concept of resistance, this essay assesses the conceptual framework of both simulation and socialist theory for their promises and problems in the context of postmodernity. Bringing historical materialism into dialogue with simulation theory reasserts the importance of Marxism in addressing the unfinished project of social emancipation. There is much to suggest that with the real becoming hyperreal, exploitation intensifies into hyperexploitation. In short, notwithstanding the merits of simulation theory, Marxist concepts and concerns are still central to both radical theory and praxis. Bringing the merits of simulation theory to Marxism offers a social theory of meaning in the context of capitalism.
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