Summary of Baudrillard

The Simulacra and Simulation:


There are two key terms within this text; simulation and dissimulation. Dissimulation implies an absense, to 'pretend not to have what one has' (Baudrillard, 1994, pg 3). Whereas simulation implies a presense, but is complicated by the idea that to simulate is not to pretend. Baudrillard argues that to simulate, means to blur the boundaries of reality. The example he gives is if a man were to pretend (dissimulate) he was ill, he could just stay in bed and people would believe him. However, if he were to simulate the illness, he would infact produce in himself some of the symptoms. Given that he would have symptoms, is the simulator ill or not? Who can tell him otherwise?
(This reminds me of a psychology study by Rosenhan titled 'On being Sane in Insane places', in which he proved that when pseudo patients were admitted to a mental institution, they could actually develop psychiatric conditions themselves as an effect of labeling. If you fancy giving that a look, you can do here.)

Another example Baudrillard gives of simulation is within religion. The presence of God is conceptual, and God is represented to us through religious iconography. And so, what we perceive and believe to be real of God (religious art/icons etc), is just a representation. This is the simulacrum; simulacra are copies either of the thing they are intended to represent or stand in for. Even in recent history, as would apply to religious art, they are copies of a copy (where images of God or Jesus are recreated as religous icons for the home, or on Christmas cards etc). And so, in turn the representation (or simulacrum) takes over as our reality of God.

Baudrillard argues that we are living in a world surrounded by simulations, so reality itself is masked and distorted until it erodes away entirely, leaving us with only simulations.

This idea is explained eloquently in the film The Matrix, which I can not get a clip of due to copyright.
However, I did find this on youtube as well. Which is a bit mental.



Baudrillard, J (1994) Simulacra and Simulation, USA: The University of Michigan.