Simulacra and Simulation
by Jean Baudrillard · first published 1994
30% recommend64% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Philosophical take on hyperreality, where images and signs replace reality through mass media and consumption; recommended for readers curious about the ideas behind The Matrix and how they apply to modern culture.
Common criticism: Dense, hard-to-read prose that some find opaque
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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The channel "Cuck Philosophy" on YT has a great explanation of both The Matrix and American Psycho using Baudrillard's theories found in "Simulacra and Simulation". The Matrix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf9J35yzM3E American Psycho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJfurfb5_kw
on “Simulacra and Simulation” ↗Anyone interested in this should read Baudrillard. Simulacra and Simulation is more relevant than ever. A warning, he has great ideas but he is a terrible writer. So bad that I wonder if it's intentional to make the reader think more about it.
on “The Hyperreal” ↗This is the French way of writing. See "Simulacra and Simulation" by Baudrillard for more examples of this writing style.
on “Saudi Arabia, an ISIS That Has Made It” ↗A great read on so-called modern society living in a simulation is Jean Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation".
on “We might live in a computer program but it may not matter” ↗If you enjoyed this, Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation is what he has drawn heavily upon. He talks extensively about the "hyperreal" mental reality we exist within. If you enjoyed that, you might like Phil K Dick's existential works like Flow my tears, cantata…
on “HyperNormalisation trailer [video]” ↗…as in Ubik and The Simulacra, where forces actively set out to deceive, both out of compassion and cruelty - and sometimes just because. Jean Baudrillard formulated much of PKD’s weltanschauung in his Simulacra and Simulation, which is as mind-bending a collection of essays as one is ever likely to read. A particular recurrent topic for both is the idea that “The Empire Never Ended” - that we live in the latter-day Roman…
on “Philip K. Dick and the Fake Humans” ↗I recommend Simulacra and Simulation by Baudrillard over The Society of the Spectacle. Less obscure. Better Style. Also check out America by the same author: > I went in search of astral America, not social and cultural America, but the…
on “The Society of the Spectacle” ↗…like “real” and “clear” are an attempt to shut down most of those perspectives and pretend one of those viewpoints is privileged. Makes me thing of Baudrillard’s thorough shitting on the word “real” in Simulacra and Simulation which ought to completely convince you that people peddling the fake will be heralded by the word “real”. (Or for that matter, that Scientology calls itself the “science of certainty.”)
on “Who Lusts for Certainty Lusts for Lies” ↗…world. To some it's deathly serious. I've found my mental health is better staying focused on things that are more real. If you find these ideas compelling I suggest you read up more on it [1]. The book Simulacra and Simulation is a wonderful starting place, really opened my eyes [2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation
on “Everyone Is a Girl Online” ↗Simulacra and Simulation - Jean Baudrillard Dialectic of Enlightenment - Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno The Sublime Object of Ideology - Slavoj Zizek Sources of the Self - Charles Taylor
on “Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?” ↗Currently reading "Simulacra and Simulation" by Jean Baudrillard. This is a really fascinating book, probably one of the biggest in Post-Modernism. It is the primary inspiration for the movie "The Matrix". When Neo takes the disk from the hacker…
on “Ask a Female Engineer: Thoughts on the Google Memo” ↗…it’s equally likely that we’re a Boltzmann brain having one hell of a hallucination - and that’s far closer to PKD’s ultimate truths than anything as mundane as manufactured “realities”. Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation was directly inspired by PKD’s work, and explores his notions in quite some detail. It’s a light read, and I highly recommend it.
on “Philip K. Dick and the Fake Humans” ↗Baudrillard‘s “Simulacra and Simulation”, feels more relevant by the day. Although he seemed to use hyperreality more of a concept or symbol than something that could actually be realized, his proposed stages of hyperreal particularly come…
on “He Predicted the Fake News Crisis Now He's Worried About Information Apocalypse” ↗Please, by all means, examine these: - Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard[1] - The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord[2] - Hyperreality[3] It is quite clear that Banksy is a poser. The artwork was not fully destroyed in a way that would reduce value.…
on “Myth Busting Banksy” ↗…have liked to have more information than just learning a new word. That being said, I think it is valuable to be aware of why I don't read my books. Currently, I am sometimes reading Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation". Despite being a good book that has definitely helped me understand a novel viewpoint on postmodern society, it is written so dense that I can read no more than one of its essays per week. Then there…
on “The Pleasures of Tsundoku: How I learned to stop worrying and love book piles” ↗