Simulacra & SimulationJean Baudrillard

Simulacra and Simulation originated in 1981 and is a philosophical treatise invented by Jean Baudrillard. It focuses on identifying and examining the different relationships between society, symbol and reality . As people, we are used to thinking that the world in which we live in is made up of things such as objects and people .etc. Jean Baudrillard examines this and says that is not the case. He implies that the culture has taken priority over the things that they actually signify.

Baudrilard takes the idea of the reversal of nature-culture to culture-nature to hyperbolic lengths and alters them into society. The word “simulacrum” is used to denote a representation of a fake version.

Simulacra & Simulation

Simulacra and simulation is broken down into four stages:1. Part where we believe that we are correct e.g.: a sign is a reflection of profound reality , a

good appearance called “ The sacramental order”

2. Second part focuses of the prevention of reality, believing that the ‘sign’ is a unfaithful copy that covers reality and changes it into having and evil appearance.

3. The third part covers the absence of reality, the sign intimidates a faithful copy but in fact isn’t . It claims to represent something real but it isn’t really.

4.The last part, focuses on pure simulation. The simulacrum has no relationship with reality, it simply reflects other signs.