Music Philosophy Art Math Chess Programming and much more ...
From the moment the Internet was born, we have become users of virtual reality, which has largely replaced "real reality". What is the title "Simulacrum" or Simulacra?
They are usually defined as the representation or imitation of a person or thing. This concept was popularized today by the French sociologist and cultural philosopher Jean Baudrillard in his work "Simulacres and simulations".
Examples of such simulacra are, for example, symbolic language, the whole sphere of abstractions, works of art which, instead of presenting reality, create its interpretations, creating an alternative reality. Simulacrum is a fictional reality similar to the content of any literary novel or movie.
The purpose of simulacra is not to recreate, but to create reality. Reality, which is similar to a dream, is a kind of illusion of the real world.
A well-known example of this phenomenon is the movie "The Matrix", in which a person is connected to a program that imitates reality, conveying to him content and images that constitute a fictional representation of the real world.
The starting point for this issue may be the famous "cave myth" of Plato, in which slaves perceive only shadows of reality reflected on the "TV screen" or computer monitor.
As can be seen, from the beginning, mankind has had a tendency to turn away from reality, creating a culture that is "virtual reality" par excellence.
Everything that makes up our culture, such as money, values, ideas, works of art, language, institutions, constitute a kind of "superstructure" to the reality which is nature. Defying culture with nature caused that man broke away from reality and turned into a rebel.
The Bible presents the initial state as life in the Garden of Eden, that is, in the world of nature, the real reality from which man turned to choose the path to culture.
In fact, original sin is not to eat an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, but to create a culture. Culture has become a system that exploits nature, destroys real reality, replacing it with "virtual reality".
However, man is not able to be completely independent of the reality that is necessary for his life. It can only use it for its purposes, which is power and wealth.
We are all part of the system that is used to self-destruct our planet. The war in Ukraine is only an actual manifestation of it, but also other events, such as terrorist attacks or genocide, are examples of the destructive tendencies of human nature.
Murder is as much a cultural phenomenon as a game of chess or a detective story. Drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are also cultural phenomena, although, as you know, they do not serve human good.
Where do these self-destructive tendencies in contemporary culture come from? Who are they for? Whose interest is it in waging wars, poisoning the environment or making people dependent on consumption?
We live in a time when all values are questioned, there are no real authorities, the power cheats and robs the society, the school system serves propaganda, not teaching citizens to think. Children are indoctrinated with religion, rather than being taught math or ethical values. We live in a world that is contrary to nature.
We allow animals to suffer, as even the famous ethicist Peter Singer writes about. Virtual reality replaces reality, machines replace humans.
The question is, not will human civilization fall, but when? As Oswald Spengler proclaimed, civilization goes through three stages: rising, developing and dying.
Are we not witnessing the decline of Western civilization? Or maybe we are able to save the world from collapse? For this to happen, we must change ourselves, society, state, continent, world, universe - everything.
We have an impact on the world we live in, no matter how small, but always. When everyone's mindset changes, reality will change. We must ask ourselves:
What kind of world do we want to live in? And then strive to create the world we dream about. Do we want to turn away from reality and live in virtual reality, or maybe we want to live in an authentic world where people live in harmony with nature?
Marek Wojnicki