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A review by aranthe02
Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard
2.0
The core ideas on hyperreal, simulacra, perversion of the simulation and of the real are brilliant. The ripples of impact this book has on modern thought are indeed profound.
The writing is beyond dense, overly so. The attempts to bring in science fall flat, Baudrillard makes too many absolute statements on science that are either no longer true or he’s not understanding the nuances of the science. This is particularly true when he talks about information. He didn’t need to pull in Shannon’s work: baudrillard’s point on information in the hyperreal are brilliant on their own and trying to use science to prove his ideas comes off as trying too hard. Dare I say perverting his simulated image of the real?
The overly academic writing style of the 20th century combined with some dated, terrible examples, makes me wish I didn’t invest the time into this work. Like many academic books, my belief is this book sits on a lot of shelves, unread, while the ideas are referenced and shared broadly in other, better mediums. Which is a wee bit ironic.
The writing is beyond dense, overly so. The attempts to bring in science fall flat, Baudrillard makes too many absolute statements on science that are either no longer true or he’s not understanding the nuances of the science. This is particularly true when he talks about information. He didn’t need to pull in Shannon’s work: baudrillard’s point on information in the hyperreal are brilliant on their own and trying to use science to prove his ideas comes off as trying too hard. Dare I say perverting his simulated image of the real?
The overly academic writing style of the 20th century combined with some dated, terrible examples, makes me wish I didn’t invest the time into this work. Like many academic books, my belief is this book sits on a lot of shelves, unread, while the ideas are referenced and shared broadly in other, better mediums. Which is a wee bit ironic.