Jean Baudrillard

Routledge Critical Thinkers

by Richard J. Lane

Best known as the philosopher who claimed that the Gulf War never happened, Jean Baudrillard is one of the most famous and controversial writers on postmodernism. This book offers a beginners guide to his thought, including his views
* technology
* primitivism
* reworking Marxism
* simulation and hyperreality
* America and postmodernism.
Richard Lane places Baudrillard's key ideas in the context of French and postmodern thought and examines the ongoing impact of his work. Concluding with an extensively annotated bibliography of the original texts, this is the perfect companion for any student approaching the work of Jean Baudrillard.

Genres: Philosophy, Sociology, Nonfiction, Theory

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Russell Mark Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Lane delivers a no-nosense introduction to a mind that many critics think is nothing but nonsense. L. gives the reader a balance of published criticism and praise for Baudrillard and tries to keep enough extracts from the actual text to construct a sturdy contextual next in order to cast as fair a picture as possible. I do have to say, this is not an updated text so you don't get a complete over-arch of JB's timeline, but still a pretty good little book.

[Bas · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only you knew how bad things really are

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

super solid intro to baudrillard! easy to understand and quick to digest

[Kyrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about a bad thinker

[Nick121235 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work actually made Baudrillard accessible to me, so I think it's probably a pretty good book (although I have nothing to compare it to, so I'm not 100% sure nothing in it is wrong!). I was completely unable to get into him before, so this is definitely a book that achieves its goal of introducing him to people unfamiliar with him.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about Baudrillard himself. On one hand I do love the postmodern update to the Frankfurt School thinkers (he seems to be heavily informed by Marcuse in particular); on the other I fundamentally disagree with his ontology of a lost Real and an unsure where to situate the idea of hyperreality if not on a line on progress (or rather anti-progress). it still seems beholden to that which it seeks to critique.

At the end of the day Baudrillard may be more useful as a thinker who generates tools we can use, pick and choose the parts of his theory that are most radical and leave the rest behind. In that case, a general introduction like this is probably the best.

[Adam F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baudrillard is one of those thinkers that you either love or hate. I lean towards the latter. This introduction still shows most of his ideas in an accessible light. At least, as accessible as you can get with Baudrillard. There is a good diagram of the differences between modernism and postmodernism. Know some Marxism before going in, but overall, I heard there's better introductions to his thought.

[Joe Mecham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly easy to understand, and the author clearly explained many of Baudrillard's theories in a very coherent way. I'd recommended this to anyone interested in Baudrillard's works.

[Irwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it out of curiousity about Jean Baudrillard and his postmodern ideas: simulation, hyperreal, etc. Haven't gone that far though.

[Cesar Armenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good, helps you understand the basics on Baudrillards thought.

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction