1994: Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation
Want a side order of philosophy with your semiotics? If so, then Baudrillard’s your man. In this book, Baudrillard outlines the concept of simulation: a process in which reality fades out of view and is replaced by “simulacra,” i.e., images that are false and hollow yet seem real and natural to us.
Originality no longer exists in this scenario; instead, we’re surrounded not only by copies, but by copies of copies. According to Baudrillard, simulation has gone into overdrive, yet people have become so used to living in this environment that they don’t realize that it’s unreal. Pretty deep, huh?
Think about Baudrillard’s concept in terms of semiotics: what bearing does the rise of simulation—and the loss of reality and originality—have on signification?
Discussing science fiction, Baudrillard contrasts an earlier type of utopian sci-fi with a newer variety (J.G. Ballard’s 1973 novel Crash is a key example) that’s no longer about parallel universes but this universe—a technologically-advanced “hyperreality” of simulation in which “one is always already in the other world.” Do you feel that this sort of fiction reflects today’s world? Is there any authenticity left, or are we living in—or heading towards—a state of total simulation?