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Book: Adapting Philosophy: Jean Baudrillard and ‘The Matrix Trilogy’.

Podcast ‘Philosophize this!: Episode #124 Simulacra and Simulation’ (can be found on Spotify under Podcasts).

Jean Baudrillard (overview of philosophical theories) ‘Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’.

I think this is an interesting perspective when approaching cultural phenomena, like films, that represent themes and have a place within reality. The film is part of the simulation while actively trying to deconstruct and rebel against it in its own storyline. The film itself has a sign-value and thus says something about someone’s identity and interests. With being a form of media itself it also forms a certain construct of reality and brings meaning as a sign. But, the film itself actually contributes to the simulation. The film follows this storyline and in a way critiques how society is mediated in this certain way.

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We, humans, are the protagonists in the film, we try to figure out how to get to reality and deconstruct the mediated world to get out of the simulacra into reality. The film deals with this idea of a simulation and how media construct this, in the film the media can be seen as the antagonists in the story, the machines. But, there is one interesting thought about the film that interests me.

Of course, it is a Hollywood movie, not another academic writing about other academics. There has been a lot of critique on the way the Matrix deals with Baudrillard’s theories. What I want to get back to is the film The Matrix. Does this mean we should be careful with media, avoid it, or is it actually unavoidable? That is a question I leave up to you as a reader, to maybe inspire some complex philosophical questions and thoughts. This gives a new perspective to understanding what media actually mean and do for us in our current society. Thus, we are not the ones creating and constructing reality, but the media is. Think about it, everything we see on the news, on social media or even information we gain from other people is actually mediated. So, even when we think we see reality, we actually see media. Instead of thinking that we are able to control reality and construct it, it is actually the media who create these realities. In this manner, Baudrillard is actually reversing a general idea. About Jean Baudrillard from ‘Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’

In addition, his postmodern universe is one of hyperreality in which entertainment, information, and communication technologies provide experiences more intense and involving than the scenes of banal everyday life, as well as the codes and models that structure everyday life. that all simulate the ‘the real world’ and reality. The media creates stories, photographs, pictures, social contacts etc. In this case, this immediately refers to the media. With simulation, he means that societies are organized around representations that focus on ‘simulating’ reality. Baudrillard speaks about postmodern societies that are organized around ‘simulation’. The theory of simulacra and simulation connects very well to today’s digital media. But, this is not the only idea of Baudrillard that links to the digital era. Taking on meaning and even creating stereotypical realities regarding certain groups or surrounding certain objects. We see technologies, especially the newest ones, as signs of an individuals prestige and identity. This consumption society is very alive to this day. Thus, just as words take on meaning according to their position in a differential system of language, so sign values take on meaning according to their place in a differential system of prestige and status. In this system, the more prestigious one’s commodities (houses, cars, clothes, and so on), the higher one’s standing in the realm of sign value. Societies are thus based on sign-value, the value of the sign, in this case, luxuries, objects, clothes, or a little bit more modern: technologies.įor Baudrillard, the entire society is organized around consumption and display of commodities through which individuals gain prestige, identity, and standing. This society and identity that is based on consumption and consumers is very relevant and accurate as of today. Everything you buy is a sign (in the Saussurian definition) that says something about who you are, where you come from and what place you have in society. And this world, the societies within it, are all based on consumers.

There is a world, but it is constructed (a very postmodern and poststructuralist perspective). In Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation the idea is sort of like the Matrix.

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