JEAN BAUDRILLARD

WHY HASN'T EVERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED 7

T RAN SLATED BY CHRIS TURNER

WITH IM ACES BY ALAIN WlllA UME

 }

CO N Te N TS

Fo reword

\Vhy Hasn't Everything Already D is:Jppe m:d? 9

Sugull Boo k.. 2009
J('~n Ib udrillard. i>oMrq" l1 /(J.N "~ '" I JI<lJ Ji.J4 tUfJ><lnJr
l3clmons d~ L'I!ernt", 2(1(17
ruhli~hc<1 by nr.ongcmcm ,,j,h !",d irions dc 1: Herne,
c/ o Agcn(;(' lmer.lIfe PIcHe t\~IICf & t\wxic~ AU ngh ts rCK rv('.;I.

Engh;h tr.on ;.bn(m C Om' T urna 2O.Y.l

Im ages C 1\1:.111 \'fillaulIlc 20()')
T his co mpi1:arion C Sn b'llil Boo ks 200')

FlrSI puhhshlm English hr &a~.'ull iSoah, 2009

ISUN -IJ 9781 'JOM '} H 08

Rrilish Uhrary Cataloguing.in.Publicalion Data

A clrlll'1.'llC" ITcu rd fur Ihi~ book l~ a,",ubble
from II ..: Ih ilhh 1i br...r

Typc~1 and de.o;igncd by Sunlln<hni Ihncr lCC, Seagull Books

Pnm ed at CDC i'nnlcrs 1>"'1 U.1. Cakulta
 FOREWORD

He that hath no t, from him shall

be taken even that whi ch he hath
(? latthew 25: 29).1

'W' hy is there nothing rath er than someth ing?'

T hi s is Lcibni z's '1ucs tiot1 , exactly reversed . It is
also a radical way of taking o ne's !c:wc of meta -
physics.

\.
TbrJoms is 1101 n Oll' Oil hring, hul Oil tI)t IIolbi/~p".

I
3
 JAN BAUDRILLARD WHY HA SN 'T EVE RY TH IN G A LREA DY DISAPPEARED?

;\ I:lccdonio Fe rt1:lndt,z. th e l\rgen tini:Jn wnter N ihili sm ? 10, nihili sm is precisely th e fo r-

;Jnd frien d of B ()rgt:~, h:ld alre;Jch' r:lken the ex- getting of th e no thing. It is th e system th:tt is ni -
pl oration of tht, nUlhing [() grc:u len gth ~ : ; E \'e r ~' hi listic through its powe r to cons ign eve ryt hing
th ing o n-a nd incl uding- th e Nothi ng, j U~1 011 to ind iffe rence. 'f he sys tcm is '!ruly negn io ni st',
th e I'pthing, btu no t entirely, On th (' j\uthing. to usc 13:t udrilbrd 's ex press ion. ~ in cc it is a denial
there i~ more: some (If it s illlerstices. which are of th e no thing. a denial of :111 illusion. There re-
IlUT11 I.: WlI S.'! J e:1I1 Ihud ril b rd pushes its limit s main s th e ch:tll cnge o f radi cal tllOught whic h
eve n furthl..'r :l nd sa tLlr~II CS th e iT1l crstict.:s. It's a gambl es on th e world being illu :-> iun , which hr
ques tion of bei ng logical. \\ c imaf,rlnl.:d th:lt Good pOlhcsizes th~1 Ih en: is perh~p s nothing rathe r
was the product of dimin:ll ing b il. tht, l: tert1:l1 th an so mething :lnd which 'huill s clown th e no-
the product of dimin:lling the Tempor:!1 or the thing thai run s benea th the appare nl contin ui ty
All the produc t of dimin:ll ing the N othing, AI - of Il1 c:t ning'.
W:lys thi s IOtalit:l rian temptatio n to uni fy. to re- Thi s isn't :I cOlllr:t rr mc tilph ysics, but Ihl:
duce dU :ll ity. [() dil11in:lte I: vil. to exterminate the contrary of :I mct:lph}'sics.
nothing. W'e ha\'e rid our ~ekes of the :tl11biguit y
of I hI.: world.

\'\ e ha\"e (0 l e~rt1 to d~ l1Cc with , hc nothing;

thi s i ~ Ihe g rc:t l ga me and the g r:tl1d style: 'the
j\othing is ~I ~ essc llli:d to life:t s :u c air and wind
to the !light of th e do\'c:: 1 a refe rence to t-.: alll 's
'light dm'C" which im agi nes it wou ld fh beller if
i, cou ld ove rcome :til res ist:tflc c.

, 5
 \X 'hen I spe:lk of timl:. it is n01 YCt
\,\'hen i spe:lk of :l pbce, it has d isa ppc:m:d
\'\ hen i spe:lk o f a man. il!..'s already (Il::ld
\'\ hcn I spc:lk o f timc. it :ltrc:ldy is no Illtlrl:4

!.I .T l ':-; Sp l.., ..... th en . of Ih e world from which

human beings ha\T di sappea red .

It 's a llUl:stioll uf di sappC:Ir.IIlCl:. n01 exha us4

nnn, ex tinctitln or cx termination . Thc cx h:lllsr.io n
of reso urces, th(' cx tinc tion uf spl:cics -thcse
are physi cal processes or narur:ll phe no mena .

9
 JfAN 8AUDRIlLARD
' \!ld th :lt 's the whole difference. T he human
species is dou btless the only o ne to have Invcntcd
:l specific mode of di s:lppea rllnce that h:l s noth .
ing 10 do with Na ture's bw. Perh aps cven an
of di sa ppear:tnce.
l.ET 'S BEG I1\: \'\ tTIl th e d is:1 ppeara ncc of th e re:ll.
We have talked eno ugh abotH the murd er of re-
aliry in the age of thc media. vi rru:11 re:11iry :md
network s, withou t enelui ring :111\', ;:,IIre:lr deg
10
whcn the rea l began 10 ex ist. I f we look closely.
\\'e sec that the rea l world begi ns , in th e modern
c
:lge. with th e deci sion to tr:t nsform the wo rld ,
:1Ild do so by mea ns of science, an:ll\'tical
10 , ther- as far as concept's :l nd bngu:lgc, By rep re-
knowledge and the impleme ntatio n of technol -
ogY- lh:lt is to say Ih:ll it begi ns, in Hannah
Aren dt's word s, wi th the inve ntion of an
Archil11cd ean poi nt outsi de th e world (o n rh e
basis of the invention of the telescope by G:llilen
and the di scovery of modern mmhcma[ical ca l-
culatio n) by which th e n:u-ur:11 \\"o rld is d efin i-
10
WHY HA SN 'T EVERYTHI N G ALREADY DISAPPEARED ?
li vel y a l ienated. ~ T hi s is th e 1110ll1C lll wh cn
huma n bei ngs, while se tt ing abou t aO:llysi ng :lOci
tra nsform ing the wo rl d, rake th ei r !ca\'e of it,
:lr! whi le at the sam e time le nding it forcc of rca li ty.
\'('e ma y say, th cn, [hal lh c rca l wurld begi ns. par-
ad OX Icall y, 10 d isappea r :1.1 the ve ry samc tin1c :lS
it begins to ex ist.
By th eir c.:xce pt:ion:d f:lcuhr fur knuwl edge,
hu man beings, while giving meaning. valuc :I nd
rea hty 10 th e wo rl d , :1 t the S:\l11e ti me begi n :I
... ree
process of di ssolutio n ('to :In:il}'se' me:l ns liter:t.ll )'
'to di ssolve').
But doubtless we have to go b:lck cven fur-
senti ng thi ngs to o ursel ves, by nami ng them :l nd
co nccprual izing th em, hU1l1:l1l beings call them
into ex istence and at th e sa me time h:-' slen th eir
doom, subtly det:lch thcm fro m their brUl e rcaliry"
ror eX:1111ple, the cbss struggle ex ists fro m th e
mo ment ~ I arx names il. But it no doubt ex ists in
its g reates t in te nsity o nly before being T1:ll11ed.
11
 WH Y H AS N 'T EVERYTHI NG A LREA DY DISAPPEARED?

thank s ro the deployment of a limi tless tec hn ol

ogy. both menta l and material, human bei ngs are
'j
capablc of fulfilling all their pOlcntiali ties :md , as
a consequence, di sappear, givi ng way to an :u ti
ficial wo rld that expels them fro m it. to an integral
perfo rman ce that is, in a sense, the highest stage
o f ma teriali sm. (l\ larx: the idealist smge of inter

., preratio n, and the irresistible tr:msformatio n that

leads to a world withou t tis.) That wo rld is per
fec tly o bjective since there is no one left to see it.
Havi ng become purely ope ratio nal. it no lo nger
. ha s need o f our representatio n. Indeed, th ere no
'. lo nge r is any possible representa tion of iT.

Fo r, if what is proper to hum an beings is not

to rea lize all th eir possi bili ties, it is of th e essence
of the technica l o bjec t 10 exhau st its poss ibilities
and eve n to go quite so me way beyon d th em,
stakjng out in that way the definitive d emarca-
tion line between technica l objects and human
beings, ro the po int of deploying an in fin ite
l
ope ra tio nal potential agai nst human bei ngs

IS
 HAN 8AUORIllARO

\ltl'rW,trth , It mneh d('cJmcs. The 1110111COI ,I

thing t, tUllled, the moment reprc~(,nlauon Jnd
concept' tah' hold of It, t, the !l10Il1COI when 11

1)C~n, 10 lo!'c II' l:ncrg~'-wllh lht' risk that II wIll

bcco!l1e a truth or impll'l: Itself a~ ideology. \X 'I:
I1U\ ',1\ the "a me of Ihe: l ' nconsciou:- and II' diS.
emcry b~ Frcud. 111:- whe: n a Ihing i!' beginning
10 dl:o.,tppclr thai dll' concl:pl appea r:-;,

T he 0"1. "';\\:0. I k gd, tllCS out at dusk.

T ,lhe: gloh,lli/.llIon: If tl1l:rc i!'i so much t.tlk

of II.'" 01,\ IOU' t:lct, .1' Indi'plHablc realiry, lh,ll

I' perh,lp' bccau,e It I' ;llread~' no longer at II"

hl:lghl ,till! wc ;I re alfl'ad~ contending with "O!l1C.
thll1g d'e.

Tlm<; thl: rc.11 \'anl,hc:, Into Ihe concept. But

\\I1.It ., e\ l:Il Illorl: p;lrJeio,\lcal 1<; the ('xactl, op

pO ... I1C: 1ll0\ l'l1ll'1lI b~ \\hICh concepr... ;tIlt! idea,

(but ;11'0 pIUIlI.l"les. utopia" dreams and til::-i rc.;)
\,1I11,h IIll0 their \Tn fultilmC:1l 1. \X 'h{'l1 en:f\

thing d"appcar, Il\ c'cc!'s of reality. \\'hc:n,

"
JEAN BAUORlllARO

thcm . . c!n:s .IIH\ Il11pl\"ln~. sooner or later. their

d''>'lppc'lrancc.

Thu .... the Illodern world forc<;.cen by ,\I an.

dmcl1 011 h~ the work of Ihe ncgau\'C, by the CIl -
gmt: of col1tr:ullction. bcc:1mc, by the \'cry excess
of liS fulfilmcllt. another world in which thing!'>
no long1..'r ('\TIl need th eir opposites in order to
Oi ... l, in which I1ghl no longer needs sh:tdc, the
fl:l11in1l1c no \ongc r needs the masculine (o r vicc
\cr ... a?), good no longcr need ... c\'ll- and the
world no longer need, us.

I I 1... \u:n: we 'iCC thm the mode of (I!sappc:u-

,l11el: of the: hUIlUI1 (and n:lIur:llly of cn:rythmg
rd<ltni 10 11 Gunther \nelcr.. oUldau:dncs .. of
human lX'lIlg.... the cchp ...c: of nilies. etc.) is pre.>
cl\ch the product of :\11 Internal logic. of a built
in ob"oil:',ccncc, of the hum:1Il mce's fulfilment
of II' mo'" g r;lndio, c projcct. the P romcthc:\11
prolect of nla!'tcnng the.: uni versc, of accJuiring
c:-.hauslln:: htlowlcdge. \,\ 'c: ~cc, ttlO, that il is Ihi ..
which pn.'clpltalc<; 11 tow:\rd" liS dis:\ppcamncc.

I.
JEAN BAUDRlllARD
All th is may gin : Ih e impression or illu sion
of a raw.1sLnncgr. of an evolution at the end of
which we would h:1\"e passed beyo nd tha i
va ni shing poin t Can cili speaks of, wh ere, wilh
uu t rea lizi ng it, Ih e human race wo uld have left
rea li ty and hislOrr be hind , where an y distinctio n
bet,vee n th e tr ue :lnd ,he fal st: would have
di sa ppea red , etc.1I
In which cast: \\'e and our bodies would be
mncly the ph anlOll1 limb. th e weak link. th e in-
Emlile.: mabd y of :I techno logica l appara rus that
domina tes LI S n:mo ld y Gust as thought wou ld be
merely the inf:mti le mabdy of AI o r th e hllm:m
being the infantile malady of th e machin e o r the
real the inf:mtilc maladr of th e \irrual). All th is
reillains confined still wil hin an evolutionary per
spcClive th:u seTS evcrything in tcrm s of a lin ea r
tr:ljeclor y, from urigin to end , frolll cause
cffcct, fro m birth to death , from appearanct:
ciisappca n l nee.
20
WHY HASN'T EVERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED?
But d isappea rance 11l:l}' be concei'-ed differ
en d y: as a singular event and th e o b iect uf a
specific desire, the des ire no lo nge r to be there.
which is no t nega tive at all. QUi lC to the contrary,
disappearance may be the desire to sec what th e
world looks like in o ur absence (phutog raphy) o r
lO see, beyond th e end , beyond the subject. be
yo nd all mea ning, beyond th c hu rizun of d isap.
pea rance, if there sti ll is an occu rrence of th e
wo rld , an unprog ram illcd nppear:lIl CC of things.
i\ domain of pure appea rance. of the wo rld as it
is (and not of the r'lI/ world , which is on ly ever the
w'Orld of represcnmtio n). which can eillerge o nlr
fro m the disappearance of all the added values.
'fh erc arc here the first fruit's of :111 an o f dis
appearance, of anotlll:r Slr.ll cgr. The disso lution
o f vallies, of the real. of ideologies. of ultim:lt c
to ends.
10
But there is simultaneo usly a ga me, the pos
sibi lity of playi ng wi lh all th ese things; th e pos
sibility o f an an, th ough 11 0 1 in any W :1y:111 an in
21
 WH Y HA SN ' T EVE RY TH I N G A LREA DY DIS APP EARE D ?

much m o re cluiekl y than animal sp ecies, by the

:tccel er:nio n it imp:tns 10 :t n evo luti o n th :'! t no
lungt: f ha s an ything n:u u r:il :il)oUI iT.

D o ing so not out of ~ om e d t: ad l dri \'~ o r

som e inVillutive. reg r ess l \,~ d ispOSiti o n towa rd
undiffere ntiat ed fo rm s. but fro m :\11 impul se to

go :ts far as possible in Ih e t:x pr~ss i()n of :,11 il s

po wer, all it s f;'tculti es- IO the point eve n o f
dreanllng of abo hsh1l1g d ea th ,

N ow, \\'h:lt is muSI s urpri sing IS Ih al th is

amount s to th e: S:ll11e th ing. Thi s ex trelll e ~n

d ellvo ur o n th e pari o f li fe (o r n f I ~ ro s . if. by that

te rm , o ne und erstand s Ih e d e pl oym e nt of :111
ca paCi t ies, t h t.: d ee pe n ing u f kno wkdgc, con -
sci o usn ess :ln d jollissflllrt') :lrri vt:s :1I Iht: saill e o u t-
co m e: th e vinu :'! l di sappc:'! ran ce of ,h c hUI1l ;'t1l
sp ecies, as tho ugh th:1I d estin y were prog rammed
somt:wh ere li nd we we re m erely d Ie long -Te rm
exeClIl:lnl S uf the prug ramme (w h ich irres istibly
brings to m ind flpoplosis. Iha t prucess b y which a
cell is pre-p rog rammed to die).

19
JEA N BAUORlllARO

the cultural :lIld aC~lhctlc sense, but sOlllething

clo"er to:1 marna I an.

,\n It<;clf In the modern period exi~ls only

on the ba<;l<; of It<; cltsappearance-not JUSt the
~Irt of making the real disappear and s upplaming

it with antHher :->cc ne, but the lift of abolishing

IIself 111 the course of its prac tice (I lcgcl). It was
br doing this that it cOl1sli tLlII.:d an e"e lll, thm it
wa .. of (kcisi\'e importance. I say 'was' advi~t:dly,
fur art today, though \I has disappeared, doesn't
know It has disappeared and-this is the worst
of it-conunues on its trajectory in a \,cget:lli\,e
';;Iale.

,\nd become ... the par:tdigm of c\'erything

that sur\'\\es it, o\\'n dis:tppc:trance. Th e re arc
tho<;c who phn on their disappt:amnec, make lISC

of il :\'> :I 1t\,1Ilg form, l'Xp loit it by excess, and

there arc tl1O:-e who :Ire in a stale of disappea r-
ance :lnd who survive it by default. It is dear that
the political scene, for cX:llllple. merely reneets
the shado\\'s of a cave and the--disembodied-

2l
JEAN 8AUORIllARO WH Y HAS N't EVERytHI NG ALREAOY OISAPPARE07

iud~el1lent is te rrifying in itself, but th e judgt:. And in f:lel thc subjt:ct- tht: :-. uh ject as
m CIlI of GIKI without God . , . age ncy of wi ll. o f freedom. of represen tatio n:
\X 'c,: l1l:ly thus suppose that c\'eryth ing that the sub ject of power. of knowledge. o f his-

disappc:lrs-insri rution!', \'alues. prohibitions. ide tory-is di s:l ppe:lTing. but it le:l\'l,:s its ghosl be-

o lo,l!;ics. even ide:ls--cominues to le:ld a cb ndes- hind. its nllrcissis tic doubk, Illore o r less :IS th e

tine t:X iSICIlCC ~lIld t:xe rt :ln ocellI! influence, as was C:l t left ils g rin hovering. The su bjec t disapp{'a rs,

s:lid of Ih e :lIlcit:nt gods who, in the Ch ri sri:l l1 era. gives way to a d iffuse, /loaling. insubsl:lllti:ll sub-
ass ulllt:d th e fo rm of demon s. 1':\,erv, thill 11 th:1I jectivity, all ectop la sm that envelops e\'cryth ing
~

dis:lppe:l rs see ps back int u ou r Jives in in fin itcsi- li nd tnlllsfn rm s evc rything into an imm cnse

Illal dose!', often more (bngerou s than the visible sounding board for a di se mbodietl, empt y con-
au thority th ~1t ru led {)\,t:r LI S. In o ur age of IOler- sciousness-ali things radiating nut from :I sub-

ance and tml1$parency, prohibitions, controls and jcc[i\'ity \\'ithOlil objec l; c:lCh mo nad . each

inequa liti t.:s disappea r o ne by o ne, btu o nl y thc molecule ca ughl in the toil s of:l defi nitive narcis-
ben er 10 bc imernali z('d in the 111 (~ ntal sphcre. \X C sism, a pcrpcftl:ll image-playback. This is thc im:lgc

might even suppose o urselves to be following in uf an end-of-\\urld subjcctivit y, :I s ub jccti\'it~ for

the tT'ack~ of ou r prt:\' iolls li\'t:s, not to spellk of an cnd of th e wo rld from which th e subject as

the Unco nsc iolls. Nothi ng c\'cr di sa ppea rs. !JUI such h:ls di sappe:l red. no longe r h:l\'ing anyth ing

let's not get into pampsrcho logy. l .c t's star wi th left to g mpple \\'ith. Th e sub jt:ct is th e victim of

psycholo,l!,r and look :l little at the di sappear:lnce this b fefu l rurn of t:\'e Ilf S, and , in a Sensc, it no

of th e subject, which is, more or less, th e mirror lo nger has anything st:lnding over :lg:liTlSI it- nei-

image of the di sappcllr:lIlce of the rcal. ther objects, no r th e real. nor the Other.

26 27

WH Y HASN'T EVE RYTHING AL READY DISAPPEAREO?

bei ngs lh al muve around in it, but d o su (Illi te

unwitti ngly (it wo uld take 100 lo ng 10 li st every-
thing 1hat has di sa ppea red in th is wa r -in stitu-
tio m , n ducs, indi vid ua ls). It is, un fo nunat cly,
(Illit e pu ss ibl e th aI wt: ou rsel ves, as a spec ies,
al ready fo rm pan- in the fo rm of clo ning, con1 -
plilcriz:1.tio n and t.he netwo rks, fo r ex:unplc-o f
th is artifi ci:d sur vival , of rhi s prolong:nion 10

perpcrui ry uf so m ethi ng ,h:11 ha s d isappea red ,

bu t JU St keeps o n and o n d isappea ri ng. \,'I/ hcre ls
th e whole an is 10 kn ow how 10 d isappe:lf be-
fo re d ying and instead of d ying.

At any ratc, no thing JUS t v:t nishcs: o f every-

th ing ,h al di sa ppea rs th e re re m ain traces. Th e
p ro ble m is what rem ain s when eve rything l1:1.s
d i:mp pcllred. It 's a bi t likt: Lewis Cn rro ll's
C heshire Ca t, whose g rin still hovers in th e air
afte r the res t of him ha s vani shed. Or lik e th e
judgeme nt of God: God di sa p pears, but he
!cil\es behind hi s judgem ent . Nu\\~ a ca t's grin is
alread y som ething Icrrif}'ing, but th e g rin wi th
o ut rhe cat is even more terrifying .. . Ane! God 's

25
JEAI\I 8AUDRlll~RD

()ur grc.:;ltt.: .. l ~H_h n"~lfit.:'i now dut':Hen u ..

onl~ \\"lIh tht'lr th"appe:lr:lncc.

1111 (.K1 \I 1)1:-. \Pl'l \R \'( 1 I:-! 'OT, then. simply

L1ut of the \Irllul Ir.lI1 . . mul:ltion of thin~l'. of
IIw lIIisf (II (/"11111" of n.:(\l1n, hut that of Ihe diYI
'Hl!1of tht.: ,uhltTI 10 IIlfinuy. of a serial pulver-
1/,111011 of con .. ciou,ne:-;~ imo all the intc:r~lict.:~

of realin. \,'c.: might ";1\, at a pinch, rhat con

"Ctou"oc .... (Ihe "ill, frecdom) is everywhere; 11
mc.:rge .. \\"lIh tht' course of thlll~s and. a" a rt.: .. uh.
become .... upertlllou", T his is the analysis CaHIi -
lullblllllgcr hllll ..clf made of re1i,!-,rion: a rehwon
which accommod,Ht'" to the world. which at-
lune .. lI .. clf 10 the (pohtlcal. socia l ...) ,,orld. he-
C011ll'" 'iupertlllous. It I.. for the samc rC:lSOi1-
bcelll't.: II hCCllllC Incrc:l'1I1gl~ merged with ob-
ICC tin.' han:lhn' -that .ut. ceasing to be different
from life. ha .. bl:comc ~upt.:rnuoll:-;.

Onl: might argue, alternatively. Ihat there

h:\\I.: been ~oml: po .. iti\'(: di~appc:\fllllces: of vio-
lence. threats. illne~s or dt.::llh, but we know tha t

'8
 ,
WHY HASN'T eV ERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED?

everything repressed or eliminated in this way re-

sults in a malign, viral infiltration of the social
and individual body.

IT IS, THEREFORE, IMPOSSIBLE to assign disap-

pearance--disappearance as form-to some par-

ticular purpose or end (any more than we can
with appearance indeed), either in the order of
Good or In the order of EviL Apart from all the
phantasies we maintain around it-and in the en-
tirely justified hope of seeing a certain number
of things disappear ooet: and for all-we must
give disappearance back its prestige or, quite sim-
ply, its power, its impact. We must reinvest it not
as a final but as an immanent dimension-l
would even say as a vital dimension of existence.
Things live onJy on the basis of their digappear-
ance, and, if one wishes to interpret them with
entire lucidity, one must do so as a function of
their disappearance. There is no better analytical
grid.
0

31
 HAN 8AUORIllARO

h\' ln~ be lllg!' not to fultil :til thei r potc.:nr ia litic!', it

IS of the essence of technical objects 1O e;.,.hawa
all of their" and to deplo} the.:m despite all op-
pO"lI1o n. dC"I)ltc human be ings them5cl\'e5.
\\'hich implic5. in th e longer or shorter term, the
disappearance of humans. /\t th e en d of this ir-
resistibl e proCCS5, 1C:lding to a pe rfectly object i\'c
universe. \\'hich is, as it \\'ere, the sup reme stage
of n.:,dit)'. th t re i5 no sub ject any longer; there is
no OIlL: th t: rc 10 "ec H. T hat world no longer has
need of us. no r of o ur representation. f\nd the.:re
i~. ind eed. no lo nger am possible representation

of it.

'11) II J.I ...,n{ ,n 1IIIs Tit '\.=--ITI<)\. to the hegemonic,

there is no finer :In:tlog} than that of the photo-
graph th ~H ha s becol1lt: dl,lQTal. being liberated at
a s1l1gle stroke from bOlh the negalive :t nd the.:
rea l \\'orld. And the conseclllt:l1cCS of both these
things :Irc inc:tlcllbble, though Oil diffen: nt sca les.
of cou r!'t:. Thi ~ mark s th e e nd of a singubr

34
JEAN BAUDRlllARD WHY HASN'T EVERYTHI NG ALREADY DISAPPEARED'

I' (\ IV I.l!)J()'. J ~Jt \t.J . :-.TKI _":-. th e total ambigu- savou rs, would be the cur rent des ti ny of the
ilY of Oll r relation tu the rt.:;J1 ;Jnd its d is:lppc:lr- il11:lge. of th e d is:1ppe:l r:lncc o f th e image in th e
anct.:. Bt.:hind evcry im :l~ e. sOllle thin!4 ha ~ ino:u rablt:: mo\'t.: from tht: :In:.Jogic:ll to th e digi -
di ~a ppeared. Ami Ihal is the sou rce of its fasci - tal. Tht.: dt.: s tin ~ of the imagt: being eXt:l11pbr~
na llon. Behin d \'irilial rea lity in all ils forms fo r th e invemion of th e technical imag{' in a11l1s
(tc1ematics, IT. eligiliz:llion. etc.), the rcal has d is- forms is our laSt grea t il1\'cmiol1 in the unremit-
appeared. t\nel that is Wh:ll fa!'cinalcs C\'l;f\'on e, ting llLieSt for :I ll 'ob jeCl ive' re:tl ity, an objec tive
According 10 the officia l version. we worship tht: trllth (0 be mir rored to LI S by technology ... It
real :lnd the reali ty principle, bu t-and this is tht.: would seem that the mirror has gOt caugh t up in
source of all the CU ff C11I suspe nse- is it. in fact. the ~~me and ha s transfo rmed e\'cryth ing into a
tht.: re:ll we worshi p. o r its di sappearancc? \'inual, digital, compu te rized , nume ric;) 1 ' rc:d -

\'\'e may. the n. take thc sallle ge ncr:ll si tua - iry'- th c d es ti n ~' of the im:lge being merel y th e

tion-cxactly the sal111;-c.:i ther ~I S a cu rse.:1S th e tin y de tail of thi s anth rupulogical n: \'ulutinn .

commonplacc critical ve rsi on h:l s il. or:lS:1 pl eas-

ure into which we ca n rCtrea t, :lS a h:lppy cven- O N THE HEGEMONIC AND THE DIGITAL, . ,

lU:llit y so to spc.:ak.
\X'hCI1, from aTl exct:ss of re:lliry, e\'e rp hing dis-
A co ntradictory two fuld posrulale thm C!1Il - appe:lrs th:ll1k s to th e deployment o f :l lim itless
not , in :IIW \\':1\'. be resolved. mel1l:11o r ll1:lt cri!l.t technology, when hUIll!l.n be-
ings arc capabl e o f fulfi ll ing :ltl th eir pOlemi:ll i-

'1'111 FI t"\. I-.5T IU .L:::.TIt\TIO;'\. o f this s),stcl11:ltic van - , li es. then, by th at \'cry loh n. they ent er a wo rld
that ex pds thc.:m . Fu r, if it is char!l.cterisli c of
ishing of a rea lity, whosc tw il ight, as it were, one

31 33
 WHY HAS N 'T EVERYTHI NG AlR[ADV DISAPPARD?

presence for th e objec l, since it 1n:1)" now be d ig-

il:1ll )" Cl II1 Sl rtI Ctt:d , ,\ nd the l: nd of Ihe ~i ngu lar

mo me nt o( th e ph tJlog r;lph ic ;lCI. sin ce th e

1111;111e Gill now be im mcdi:uck,
~
t: r!l~ed o r recon -
stru c led, An d the end of th e irrefu l:lbl e I C~ l j

mon y of Ih e nega ti ve, Bo th the timc-b g and

di stance di s:"Ippl':"Ir :11 th e ~ :lT1le ti lll e, :lIld with
thel11 th:"lt blank between objl:ct :lIld i l1l:"lge that
\\':"IS the ncg:"l l-j\t:. T he tradition:ll phOlogr:lph is
:111 im:lge producl:d by Ihe world. which. th :..nks
to th e med iu m of film. still i l1 voh'l:s:1dime nsi on

of represent ation. flle digital il1l:lge is an image

th ai comes straigh t out of th e sc ree n ;lnd be-
comes submerge,-I in th e m:.. ~s uf :..11 th e o th er
images fro m sc ree ns. II is of tht: ord er of flow,
and i!' :I priso ner 10 the aUIOI1l:l!ic operflli o n of

the c:lI1,e r:1. \X /hen ca icublioll fmd th e d igital win

O llt over fo rm, when softw:.. rc wins Ollt over the
eye, ca n we still spe:.. k of phi HI Igr:lphy?

J7
JI AN 8AUORIUARO

dc<;um of (!1glll/;lllon looms o\er the world of

the Illlnd ;lIlcl IIll' whole range of thought.

\\111\\1 IllRt 1111 ;-,\\\1 :'(I'\RIO, term for

term: with programmes ba sed on the 0/ I binan
con"lrLlCI, \\ hleh i" a kind of integral calcu lm.
Ihl' cnurc s~ mbolic articulat ion of languag(' and
thought dl'i:tppe:lfs. Soon there will no longcr be
<In\" thought -sensltl\'e surf:tcc of confrontation,
;U1\ "u"pell"ion of thought between illUSion and
realu\'. T he re will be no bLinks any more. no SI -

lences. no cOlllradtcllon- just a single continu

Oll" 110\\, :t "lIlglc IIlll'g rated Ci rCUIt. ,\nd
computer Intellige nce lend .. Hsclf to--Of, more
accur.ucly, like the digital in the ca;;;e of tht:
lIll:1gc. forces us lillo- the sa me faciliry, the same
clpncit)u"ne"" ()f pn)(luclion and accumulation.
of 'photo '" nthe~i~' of the whole of the possi-
ble n::11. Thl'- giganlic- illu sion is to confuse
thought with :t prolife ration of calculation:.- o r
photography wuh a prohfcr:H lotl of ill1agc~. ,\!lel

40
 ..
,
JEA N BAUDR IHARD WHY HASN ' t EVERYTHI NG AlREAD Y OlSAP PEARD 1

THb I~ ;-"OT \ 11 RI.! Y " I.Pb() l)l ~ in the hi~ lUr} of to menti o n the magic o f th e im:lgt.:'$ t.:l11 ergence
tcchno logy: with thi s ru rn to the digita l. th e as it is d evelo ped),
whole of :lIlalo/!,ue photograph y, th e im:lge in il ~ It is the wo rld and our vi sion o f th e wo rld
en tirety -conc eivcd a~ th e conve rgence of th e
that is ch;1. nged by thi s.
light from th e obj ec t with th e light from th e
PARTI Cl' L\ RI.Y 1;-': T IILSE RLCI~:-"T T I\I I..S o ( ultra-
gaze- is s:1 crificc d. is doom ed fure ve r. As di~iti
r3pid technu logical progress, the :Ibsurd ide l h3S
zmion ad":1 l1cc!', soon th ere will no longer be any
emerged of libemting' the re:ll by me;1. ns o f the
film . :l1ly light -sensitive slIfbcc onto which things
im;1.gc, :Inc! of 'libemtingOthe image by l11e:1I1S o f
inscrib ed themsd ves nega ti vely. f herc will onl y
th e digiul . The 'libera tio n' o f th e rcal 3nd o f the
be an image $oftw;1. fe pa c b~e, a d i~6tal effect
il1l:lge arc s;1.id to be effects o f profusio n :md pro
runn ing tothc bil1ionrh o f a pixel and, a t th e
liferati on. Thi s is to forgct the dcwcc o f ch;1.1lcnge
sa me time , unprecedent ed e:-lse of pi cture- ta k-
and risk involved in th e pholOgT;1.ph ic act, the
ing, of image -playb ack and o f rhe photo -syn-
fra~';lity and :Imbivalcncc ()f the relatio n to the ob-
thesis" of anything whatc ver, Metap ho ricall y, th e
ject- th e ' failure ' o f th e !!;aze, we might say. That
sophis tica tion o f th e play o f prcsen ce and ab-
is all essc nri:ll f O photo!!.raph y- and it is :t rare
sence, of appea rance ;1. nd disapp ca mncc -allth e
thi ng! Yo u canno t liberat e pIH ,tt'~"l ph}'!
sop hi sticati o n o f th e photographi c aCl-d isa p-
O nc!.: aga in, thi s is :tIl JUSt o ne tin y exa mple
pca rs wi th the coming of th e digital (the phlll u ,
o f wha t is happe ning on :1 m:tssivc sca le in :IJl
gr:lphic ac t causes th e ob ject in its 'rea lit y' to
fields -parti cularly in th e field s o f tho ught, con
vani sh for a mome nt ; the re is no thing o f th e sort
ccpr s, bngu :tge and repres ent ation . Th e
in the virtu;1. 1 image, nor its digi t;1.1c;1.p ture- not S:ltll C

38 39
 WHY HASN'T [V{RYTHING ALREADY DISAPP(ARED?

th e fu rt he:r \\T W) in tha t d irutioll. tlll: fllnh ~ r

we Sh :lll be: from ,h e s~ crc ' -:lI1d th e pl ~:l ~ ure:

of b()th. T he e:xtlrbita l1t pri\'il q.:,c: granted 10 the
br:lin. n o t itl ~ t in th e n c urosc i ~ ll ce~ but in :111
field s. is symplOma lic or th is. i\:( )1 It) m e mion I,c
l ':ly's rCCt.:111 propos:ll on cnt:in~'c r in t: the amoullt
of hUIl1 :Ul brain lilli e a\'ailable (for Coca Cob. :ld

I vc n s) . w hich W :IS excc(xlcd in ill\'oiull ta ry cr ni .

cis m :I nc! ri d ic liloll ~ n ('ss hy the p rupos:d uf th e
I-i e:l d or Cul tllf:ll ,\fffliri' of th e P:lris C il"y 1!:tIL
Chri stoph e G ira rd : '\X 'h:11 we w:lnt is 10 llI :lke the
brain anibb1c. n o t fo r :Id \'c ni :- int: :l.nd cflpitaL
but for C ult urt.: :md C rea tion !'

Il owc\'cr thi s m a\' \\TC)n ~-

. be, wha t is totall,
. '

hC:ld cd is (0 see th e hrain :lS:l rece i,'e r. :l synap-

lie Ic rl11in:l1. :1 sc ree n f'lr br:lill i m a~e r } in r(':l l
rime (in thi s sen se. it ii', :11 :l pinch, k s", ah"tml to
corrd :lI c a 'ru llctinn:d' b r:li n wit h :111 :ld n .: rti sing
m :lrke t ,h:\I1 to st..:e it a:- the \'chicle for 'C re -
:lLiun'!). In short, in h 'cping wi dlthc abe tTant as -
s llmplio n flf the whol e or cOllltlluniC:l1io ll
th eory ('\'\ 'c a rc a ll ull\\"illiTlt: receivers :lncl tr:lIl :--

.,
HA N BAUO RtUA RO

shutter relc3se aix)hsilmg the world and the ga/c

for:1. Ill(HllCI1I, a ,~nCllpc.:1 fH'lik IIIOrl thai tnAAers
the maclllllic performance of the ima!!c--disap-
pear!' III digItal, Ilumcncal processing.

,\11 thts IC:lds Illc\'itnbly to the death of pho-

tography :, .. an original Illtxi iulll. \X 'ilh the an:1 -
loguc imagc it is the csscncc of photography that
disappcar~. T hat im:lgt: sti ll :ltlcSlcd 10 tht.: lh c
presence of :\ subject to :-tn objec[--{mc laSt rc -
pm"','!.: from the dl"'''Cllllnatl0!l and digital udal
\\,,)\ c th.u hc.:s 111 store for liS.

The problem of reference was already an al -

mo ... , lIl ... oluhlc one: how l'i 11 with the real? I low
., It \\ IIh n: prc<;t.:IlI:lf1on? BUI when, \\'lIh the \'ir-

lu,11. the n :f<.:rcl1I dl':lppC:lr~. wht:n it dis:lrpC;lr~

Into the technical programnllng of the il11:lge,
\\hell there I" no l()n~er the SItU:1.tl0n of :1. rC:1.1
world :-ct o\'cr .again." a li~ht - ~cn~itin; film (it i'l

the :-.I111e with 1.lI1gU:lgc, which is like.: the.: ~e.:miti\e.:

tilm of idc;\.,), then there is, ultimatdy, no po:-:-.iblc.:

reprc<;CIlt:lIlOn :111\ more ..

46
JEAN BAUORlllARO WHY HASN'T EVERytHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED?

l11il1c: r:o: "), once: you mo d d the: brni n o n comput -
t:rs, sc:ci n~ it :1S :1 supe r machine in th e image of
othe: r digi tal l11:1chine:s, th en th e brnin and (\'ir-
tu:i1) rea lit y simpl y illt crf:1ce, o pe rate in a loop
with, or m irro r, e::lch ot her in nccordance with
single p rogr:u111l1c- th c whole resulLing in wha t
we c:lll Aflifi cb l Intelligence o r A I. \,\Iilhin th is
Fo r thaI hegemony i" notiling olht:r Ih:l11 the re-
absorption o f any neg:lI i\'it y in human affair". the
reduction to th e simpk sl lInll:1r ~ forlllub, th e
formula to which th e.: re i:o: 110 alt e rn ,lI ive:. 0/ 1-
:1 pure difference o f pot en ua1. Into wh ich the.: aim
is to have :l1l conl1i cI:' \',Ini:;; h d igll:1l1 y
THE VIOLE N CE DO N E TO THE IM AGE

fram e.: work , in which wc havc d e.:fi nitively p rivi - T he ulril11at~ \'iolen ce done to the im:1ge.: i:<> thc
Ie.:ge:d th e.: brain as a str.ll cgic source of tho ugh t- viol ence of the: cgi- compul e r-ge nc rc:l lcd
:H the ex pense o f :l il y o ther fo rm of intelligence, im:lgc-which em ergc" r.... millfo from l1um ~ ri ca l
part ic u1:1r1r th e intel ligence of E vil , which is rd - calcula tio n and th e comput er.
eg:ltnl to IIll: zonc of lIsd e:ss fun ctions -\\"l' as -
This PlII S:111 e.: nd nCIl to the inl.lgil1lng of tll('
sure it of Ilcge: mo nr. o f hegem o ni c po wer-
image. to its fund al1lcnt:11 'llIu ,",lIm' ,",i n c~, in COI1l -
precisely in th e like:ness of the po we r that reign s
put er gcnernLio n, th e r~ fe n.; nl III I II lI1ge.:r e:\t~t1' and
in the geopolitica l sphe.:rc. The: sam e mo no po ly,
lh cre: is no place e\'en tor the n:~ll to 'u kc p1:1ce',
the S:1I1lC pyramid:11 symhesis o f po wers.
being i ml1l cdi:1td ~ pn KllIce:d a<; \ ' lff U.11 Rea lit y,

D iglt al pnx iliction C r:1 ,",C'" th e.: inugc ,11' (/",,10-

,\1.1. T ill S 1) 1 ~S CR mES an ove rall hege mo nic ,ejJlr, it erases lhc rcal as :..( ltm:tl ltng c lp:lbk ( )f I.x.:i ng
proce:o::o:. :lnd thi s is \\'hy th e digressio n o n pho- 'imagi ned', The photog tilphlc :I( t, Ihi " lllon1c:!l1 of
tography :1nd the.: dig it:11 can serve as the micro - di s appc ~mlll (c of both th e sub ject ,mel Ih l: o b ject
mo del for a generalized analys is of he gc l11 o n ~. in the same installl:mcou" con fron t.ll iol1- the

44 45
 W H Y HASN'T EVE RYTHI NG AL READY DISAPPE A RED?

TIIERE IS \'('O RSE, \Vh:\{ di stinguishes th c an:lloguc

image is that it is the pb cc where a fo rm o f di s-
:lppeara ncc. of di st:lncc, of 'freezi ng' of th e
wo rld pl ays lI se1f o ut. "rh:l t nothi ngness al th e
hea rt o f th e im:lge which \X'arho l spokc o f.

\\;1hcre:ls, in th c digital image, Of, mOfe gen-

eraUy, t.he cgi, therc is no nCb":l.tive :lily longer, no

I <ti me lapse', Nothing dies o r disappe:l rs there, The

image is merely th e product of ,In inSl"fucti on and
a progr:lllllll c, agg ravated by auto mat.i c di ssemi-
nation from o nc medium to the o ther: comput er,
mobile pho ne, T V sc ree n, elc.- the llutOTl1atic
nanlre of rh e network- respo nding 10 the auto-
mat.ic nature o f th e constru ctio n o f the im:lgc.

So should we save absence? Shou ld wc save

the void and thi s nothi ngness at the hea rt of th e
image ?

AI any mlC, rcmov ing I11 c:l.Iling b ri ngs o ur

thc essential point: namel y, thaI rh e iTl1 l1gC is more
impo rtant than what it speak s about- j uSt as
language is morc importan t r.h:lTl what it signifies,

49
 JEA N 8AUDRIllARD WH Y HASN'T EVERYT HI NG ALREADY DISAPPEARED?

BlT IT \It ST \I _~(} RI \ 1 \ 1' \1.1 1 , to itself in somc lhe illl:lge in which the d ivi nity W;IS dirc,:clly
wa~, i\ul n: /lecl lonl it~clf :I~ mediulll , 1101 r:l ke prcsell1-:ls in th e \'eil of Ih e Il ol} F:lce lll-w:I:-
it'~elf ror :U1 i m:l g{~ , It must r{'Il1:1in :I fiction, a f.-Ibk :Il1t hc mic- :l1l foil" rf tllllolI/aliqllt' of lhe d ivin e
and hence ec ho the irn:sukablc fiction o r th e (:I CC without :l ny hU111:l11 h:l nd h:l\'ill ~ int ervened
C\'CI11 . It mu st nOi bc caught in its own trap o r let ("a cllt:iropuie1.ic'), through a ki nd of lr:lIl s lc r~

itself bl: im prisoned in 1111: i Tl1 :1ge~ pby lxlck. priming ana logous to thc m:g:lli n : or th e phlli o.

T he worst thing, in ou r \' iew, is JUSt thi s im - gra phic film. On the othe r h:md , they violcml y

possibi li ty of a wo rld withollt il11 age -pbyb:tck- rcjccred :11 1 ico ns prlldu ced by hlll1l:ll1 h:l nd
(,cheiropoil: lic') which for them were mere s illl ~
a world that is :tlways c:lug ht, ca pturcd, lil m cd
:l nd photogra ph ed e\'l:n 1>I.: fore it is ~ee n. Th is is lIbCr.l o f th e di d nc,

a T1lo!'l:t1 d:lI1gcr for the ' rc:l1' wo rld, but also for By COll1 r:tSI, th e photogr:lphic :lCI is. in :1

the il11:tge. since. when it merges with the real and senst:, 'achei ropui elic'. As aut o m:ltic ligh t. writi ng
si mpl y im lll erses it self in th e real :md re cyck s Ih:lt neither p:lsses through th e rea l nor Ihe ide:t
ii, th erc no longe r is :l ny il1la~e-:11 l e:t~ t /1f)l as uf the re:ll. pholOgf:tphy 1ll:1Y ht: ~:l i d , by thi ~ :tu
cxct:p tion,:ls illu sion, :ls p:mtlld \\orld . In th t: \i- lut11:1t:ici t); 10 be the prutut)ve of :1 lit cr:llness of
~ 1I :l 1 !low in which wt: :Ire cu rrentl y s ubnlt:r~ed, the wo rld, wi th no interference (mm human h:lIld.
Ihere i" n'l eVl:n th e tim L' 10 become an im:lge. The world produci ng itself :IS r:ldiC:11 illusion, :I ~

I d ream of an illl:lgt: that wou ld be th e iail - purt: tr.1ce, \\;thOlH :tlly simubtioll, without hum:tn

flrl' tllIlOlJltlliqllf of thl: world's singubrit y. :is il1l er\'c mion :l nd, :lbo\'e all. no t :ts truth, for, if

drl::ll1lt of b\ the Iconoclasts in th e famous there is onc ~ lIpJ'enH': pnxluct of the hUI1l:lIll11ind ,

Bynntinc controversy. T hey contended th:l! o nly th:t! product is truth :tnc! objccti\T rC:llity.

50 51
 WHY HASN'T EVERyTHING AlREADY DISAPP[ARED?

physical- !<Ocn ses of the word , of th e 'i nngc in

th e carpel'? T he V:mi shing Pllin! o f the Pic rurc.

~ I.KI \I.ITY IS ~O'\ II.TIl"( . :1.ltn os l i n c vjLlhlc.: in

ph olOgra phy. fo r th e rcasoll th:u the C:lI1H:r.l (c:o: -

p cc ially th e dig ital ca m c f':l) ICl1 d ~ tuw:ml s till: in -
finite ex ploita tio n of its possi bilities. Fnr bck of
:1 11 intu iting of th e d ct:l il of th e world. fo r want
of full y plumbing il s m C:lIling and c xh:llI sling ils
~lpp Ca rat1ces, th e sc ri:ll digil:'!l im:lgc fills ,he \'oid
by sclf-muILipli cuioll. In the limi l (:1St.' which is
o ur presc m con dit ion. we arrive :11 an un stop -
, pable seri es of shots.

But this is no lo nger :l pho tograph :Ind , lil e r-

all y spea king. it is no l o n~(' r (,\,(,11 :1.11 im:lgc. T hese
shot s may be said. r.ahcr. tn be pan o f the murder
of the image. Th a, murde r is hei ng pe rpc lF.lt ed
continually by aU the il11 age~ th:\I :lCculllubt<.' in se-
rics, in ,hcl1l:lt.ic' seque nces. w h ich illustrat e thc
same evcm tlt/lltlllSetll/l. which th ink th ey :lrc acclI-
mulating, but are, in fan, canC(.: lling e:tc h t Hiler t Jut,
ti ll th ey reach the zero degree of info rm :llioTl .

55
 HAN 8AUOII'llAIiO

T1I1IU /..., (.RI \1 \111 (T\IIO, 10 a<;cnbing mean

111j.{ 10 the photographiC 1Il1age, To do so I, to

nuke ohlec,,", ..,Irlkc ,I po<;c, \nd IhlllgS them -

"eke .. bq,~111 10 po"e 111 the light of meaning as
"oon ;1" Ihl'Y fed a subject's ga7e upon them.

II \\ I \\ I '()"J \I \\ \" had the deep-sca led phan -

I.I"Y of a \\1 Irld lhal would go Oil \\'llhOUI liS? Th e
poetic lempI.lI10n 10 M.: e the world in Our ab-
"enCl:. free of am hUlllan, all -loo -human will?
The IIllen'l' plc;l"ure of poetic language li('s in
"cclng J.lIlguage opeC"lting on ils own. in its Illa
lenal,,\. :1.I1d lileralu\, without Iransitll1g through . .
lllean1l1g-thi" is wh:1I fasClnatcs us. It is il1('
same with anagrams or anamorphoses. with the
'figure in the ca rpel', l1 The \'nnishing Point of
l ':l1lguage.

\1 \, '()J PHOTO(,R WHY :1150 be said 10 fUI1Clion

as 'revealing', in the I\\'()-tech nical and mCla -

52
lEA N 8AUDRIllARD

muge \U, nude. In the pn't, 10 (he day" of the

'rcal world', so 10 .. peak, photography wa<;, as
Ihnhe"i argued, \\']{nc~~ to an insuperable ab
"ence, to sOl1lethll1g lIUl had been p rc~ellt once
,lIld for .111 IIIne. h)r 11" pan. rhe digital photo is
III real tlmc and bC;lrs witncss to something that
(bd nOI take place, btl! whose absence ~igni tie "
Ill)t hll1g.

In till'. digiul hberahl'flllOIl of thc photo-

gr:1plllc act, 111 Ihl .. impcr~on<ll process in which
the medium Itself gcncral l;s mass-pnKluced im -
a~e ... \\'lIh no mher Il1lerCeS"lon but the techlllcal,
we C;\Il 'ee seriality 111 its consummate form. In
the licld of ullage ... Ihl .. 1<;, as it were. the e<ltll\'a-
iCI1I of .\1. \,\ 'e I1U\ Ihtl<, regard the Image .. taken
hy ;1 (lignal Cll1lCrn gcne rall~ as an infinite ~c ric s

with ,III the pO"'lhditics of manipulallon, pla~,

correcllon, inugc pl:lyback and all rhe thing" that

afC 1Il1lhlnk,lbk in the 'analoguc' world. It "al .. o
the end of any suspe nsc: the image I:; thcrc:lt th e.:
.. a me lillle as the scene- .l ridicul()ll ~ pnlmi .. cuity

58
 r
I
JEAN BAUDRILLARO WHY HAS N " (VERYTHI N G ALRE A DY DISAPP[ A RED?

There j" a vi olence done to rh e world in rhls 1\ total de regubtiol1 of th e il1la~e-pho

way. but there i~ :ilso a \'iolence don e 10 th t: togrnphy ca n get lost in :I mind boggling fr:lg-
image. h) Ihe s o\crcig1ll~ uf images. j\;u\\', an I1K Ilt:ltion. in :t technical delirium of visi bil it} at
image has to b e sO\e n~ ign; it has 10 have;: its own all costs, where everything inSISt's on ~Ippca ring on

symbol ic space. If th ey arc li\'ing images-'aes-
thetic ' (.lu:ililY is no t at issue hc n.:-th cy ensure
the t.::\i~ten cc of that ~y mbulic ~ pacc by dimimlt -
ing an infinite number of other spaces frOln il.
T here IS a pe rpe tual ri\:tlry betwee n (tru e) im -
ages. But it is exactly th e o pposi te {oelay wilh th e
d igi 1:!1, when: Ih e parade of im:lgcs n:semblcs th e
sC,] lIcncing o f the ge no me.
:l fr:tct:ll o r microscopic sca le. It's not :ll1latt er of
disaplx.-aring into the pby of forms any more. but
o f an automatic substitution. whe re the world it -
self zaps from one im:tge to the o ther in precisely
th e S:Ulll.: way as the individunl c:m di ssolve him -
sel f imo th e m ental di:lspora o f ,h e nt:\"wurks :tnd
the reby :utain a de finiLi\'c spectrali!'y.
T hc ulLim:ttc stage o f thi s d c-regulation is
the cgi. From faked phutos of tht: d ying D in na to

T il L OI'I'O:-ITI. 1'I ',R':" IJI-CrJ\,I" would be phologra - srudio-manufacrured TV rt: pI Jrt s. tht: immedia te

ph~ in liS pure :lb slr:lClioll- roIIi mmlltll'---el1vi - live shot. taken nt :111 irrevocable m o ment, is pas t

sinn ing:1I1 alrc:ldy photog raphed world in one's lInd go nl.:- b st gli mm cr of :lcrunlirr in a virtu:l1

head- withou t there being :l ny need to material dime nsion \\'he rc im:lgcs no lo ngl.: r h:lvt: the

ize it in aC lu:l1 shut s- by imagi ning the world slightest connecrion wilh lime.

precisel y as the len s Ir:ln sforms it. Th e innt:r In the vinu:l1 im:lgc there's no longer an y-
ecstasy of photography. as it wcre. th ing uf that punctual ex actitude. Ih:1I p"l/rllllll in
time wh ich is th e 'poim ' w11l.:11 tht: :l11alugu e

56 57
J(AN 8AUORIllARO
to oper:ll c within an illlcgr:-tl indi\'iduality, free
from all hislOry and $ubjl.:Cl.i\'c constraints ...
At th e cnd -point of this ri se of the machim:,
in which al1 human intelligencc is encapsubted-
:1 ll1:1 chine which is now :Iss tlfcd of total auton-
o my as a res ult- it is cl c:u that mankind ex ists
only :\I the COSt o f its 0 \\" 11 dc:uh. It Ix:coll1 cs illl -
Illort:'ll only by p:'lying th l.: p rice of it s tcchn()log-
iC:'l1 di s:'lppC:lli UlCC, of its in scription in the d igital
order (Ihl.: Ill CIl1:'l1 di:1 !>pora of the network s).
~ J"lII . !'I\ \ !lU)1. (JI \ 1.1 \'1'( . DI~PI.R!)IU:-".
spider, which !"pi ns its web and is silllu itaneous ly
spun by its web: Or bCller slill. ' I :1.111 1l0l the spi -
der who wC:I\'es Ihe web. and I am nut c\'cn a fl\'
c:lUglli in the wcb. I :tm the web it self. strea ming
off in all direc tiun s with no ce ntre and no self
Ih:lI I c:-In c:tllmy 0\\"n.'12
But Ihi s is Th e o pcn form of immortali ry and
in realiry. so far :IS the human species is concerned.
62
WHY HASN'T EVRVTHING AlRAOV OISAPPARO?
the choice has been madc :l11d it is cmbo d icd in
the supremacy o f Artificia l I nldli~c n ce.
I
IT IS ,\TTIIE OlT I' 1{ 1.l\IIT !'I of this: systc mat.ic di s-
appe::tral1ce, which h:1s, it wou ld !"eelll. been uni -
vcrs:1.l ly accep tcd. but whose d ynamic ulti mately
remains mys tcrio us (\'\ '11:1.1 do digi fal ~ h cc p drcam
o f ? as Philip r.::: . D ick mig ht have :1. sked). thaI
somc rroubli ng p::t radoxiC:ll (llIcs liu ns :trise:
1. Is ('\'c rything doom cd 10 disllppea r---( Jr,
mo re precisely. ha sn'l eve ryt hing alread y disap-
tllc ide:1.1 pea red? (\\'h ich connect!" lip with Ihc vcry dislant
p:mldox from a phi losophy th:1I nc\'cr was: Wi lY
IS TH E RE NOT Il ING R,IT II " R T ll tlN
SCH IETH ING')
2. \'\ 'hy isn't everything uni \, ('I"~ al ?
3. \,\'c arc fa sci naTed by ,hc ph:l1 l1 :ISIll of :1I1
in tegral rca li fY. by fhe :llph:1:md Olllct:a uf d igi lal
, progml11 l11 ing. T he rl.::l. i is th e Ieitillotif :lnd ub-
sess io n of all di scourses. BUI arc we not fa r tess
63
 WHY HASN'T EVERYT HING ALREADY DISAP PEA RED ?

(wha t a m:l rvcl, by Co ntr:l::; t, is the slow g rad ual

risi ng to th e surfact: of th t: imagt: in th e Pobroid
ca mera!). 'fhl ::; i::; what the digi tal b ch: th e rim e
of e me rge nce, failin g which it is merel y a ran -
do m segme nt of the uni ve r::; al pi xclli zatio n,
which no longc.: r ha s anything tv du with th e
gaze, no r with th e pia), of th e negative. the play
of d istance. A new view of th e world , glo b:tliz:t-
cio n's view o f the wo rld : th e sub jectio n of every-
thing to :t single prug ramm e, th e sub jection of
:tll images ('Q:t single 'ge no me', Thi s is why il is a
mi stake (Q rega rd the move 10 digit:t l as :t mere
tec hni cal advance, as :1 supe rio r form of au-
!Umatia n o r eyen, indeed, II finallibenu-inn o f the
Image.

Fo r th is really is the b st straw. this :tspir:ttion

to d ear the wa y, with the digital, for the integral
im:1.ge, free from an y real -wo rld constraints. And
we would nor be forci ng the analog), if we ex-
lend ed th is sam e revolution to hum:l n beings in
general , free no\\-; thank : ; to this digital intelligence,

61
 WHY HA SN 't EV ERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEAR EO'

nen;r re ill y bCl:n taken into cons id t: r~lI i() n, except

, in :1 Iluml)!.;r of r:lpidly s:lcrificed ht:resies).
\
D Ui\ 1.1'1"'1'. Th e inviubblc gold e n ru le of
dllalil"Y. And th cn.: ':o; no need ttl g n b:lck to :11\.
thropology'5 roOl5 to rediscover thi 5 mdie:11 d e-
lllet11 of hllm:lt1 being; it is present everywhere:
it is what n OI o nl y leavc:o; Ihe ~l lI t..:s l i(Jn s po sed
:l bove etero:llly in sLi spen se, but :l lso etcrn:lll y
,hw:lrt s hum:ln und ert akings (:lll b:lsed on syn
dH.:sis, intt..:g r:dity and lh e dclibc r:ll c fo rgelling of
all rCfr:lClOry form s, of eve rything that canno t o r
wil l not be in tt..:grated or reco ncikd .. ,).

Funcbmcmall y.lhc N OR~ I A I . hUIll:! n being

:llw:I}'S lives in a SI:lI e of d epcndency o r cou llt e r
de pend ency: he i5 dcpc nc\t;nl on his mode l
(wI1:IIc\'cr it 111 :l )' be: mode l of :lnic)Il, social or
imagina ry project), but. :11 the :o:1I11e lime. perina
nendy challengi ng th:1I l1Iodel. l ie is Il1Ol.i":lI cd and
cOlll1tcr mori\aled in the sam e 1l1()\'em cnt . The re
is no need for psycho logy o r psyc ho:lI1:ll ys is or,
indced. :l.Ily hlll1l:1Il science.: for lhis. Thc.. c scicnccs

67
JEAN BAUDRILLARD

fascmated by th e real than b\ liS vanishing. liS

IneiuCt,lble dl..,apPC;lrJnce?

4. WhIch gin: ... me to th e Inliy m,-srcnous

llllc..,,,on: how docs tim Irresistible global power
succeed 111 1I11differentiaung the world, in wiping
out Its c:\trcmc si ngula rit y? ,\nd how can the
world be so vulnerable to thi.., IilJuicbtion, this dic-
t'llorship of integral re:tli ty, and how call it be fas -
cl11:Hed by it- not exactly fascinated by the real
but b~ the disappcar:lI1cc of reality? Th ere j ...
hO\\"(:\"cr, ,I coroll a[\' LO this: what is the source of
the fragIlity of thI S global power, of its ,ulnera-
hllny to mll)or ('\'CI1I", to c\-em .. that are imignif-

lClIltIII them<,cke<, ('fO)..'\IC (',-ems', terrorism. but

:tl"o the plctun:" from .\bu Ghr:ub, etc.)?

DOl I nll~~, If \\'c ,lfC to a\"old these 1I1soiublc

llue"tlons. \n: ha\c ttl fefcr 10 thaI Olh cr amhro -
pologic:d rn-olutlon. exactly antithetical to our
cur rcnt diglt,ll ' re\"(}iutlllll ', that is never takcn
lilt<> con"'ldcLlIion (wc mIght cven sal it has

64
JEAN BAUOR!llARO

(il:lhnhc. n ;lltnlo(llIou:-. Th e dllpliclr~ merrih

!-!OC'i ovcr to thc othcr side.

If !'ublectl\"c Iro!1\' disappears-and H dl!'-

appears 111 the play of the (lIgllal- th en irony be-
comes ubjccli\T. Or It becomes sile nce.

I' 1111 111.(,]"1'(. \\ \,:. 1111 \\(llm. It was onl\

:lfterward " thar th(' Sikncc camc.

T he end It self h:lS cllsappc:ucd ...

jmll((lf) !()(r

70
JEAN BAUORlllA RO W HY HASN'T EVE RYT HING MR ( AOY DISAPPfAR(O ?

CX ISt only 10 reconci le th e irreco nc ilable. t\ s :1 T his raises th e whole (llleSllOn of the intell i)!;encc
cOnSC(l lH::nce, human bcings
<
do :llw:l\'s
,
bOlh \\'h:11 of Evil.
th ey need LO fo r lh eir model 10 succeed :md all \\:'e an.: simplifi ed by technicalmanipubtio n.
that is necessa ry for it 10 fa il. Here agai n. there's
r\nd thi s sim pl ification goes off on a c rn}'
no need of :l ny wea kening o r pc r \"(: n~ i o n or de:l th
course \\hel1 we reach d igiral manipul:uiun.
dri ve. It is from [h ei r p rima l duality Ih:1I hum:1I1
What beCO meS :ll t.hi s point of th e vCTltrilo-
bei ngs derive th is :llwl.go ni stic energy. Thi s is the
'-luKit)' of l : v il ? l~ It is th e S:ll11e wilh the r:ldical -
n Onl1:l1 hum;ln bei ng :lnd eve rything rh:lt sets
j
iSIll of yun::; whe n it d ese rt s Th e ind iv idual.
abom reconcil ing him with himself ;lnci finding ;l
reconcil ed with him self :lnd humoge nized by t.he
so lUTion TO th e Icillest.ion s raised above is of the
good offices o f the digital. and when all criri c:d
o rder of superstitio n :l nd mystification. "
thinking has di s:l ppe:mx l, radi ca li sm passes in to
T he A BN OH,i\ j t\L individ u:l1 tOday is th e
thi ngs. Th e vcm riloC]ua cil), of Evi l IXlsses into
on e who nuw livcs o nl y in a unilal eral po sitive
tech no lugy i tscl f.
adherence 10 what he is or what he docs. Total
For duality can be neit he r climin:l1 cd nor
subjection and ad juslmcm 14 (th e perfcctly no r-
liquidat ed- it is rh e rul e o f the gam e. Th e ruk of
ma li zed bci ng) . Co untlcss ind i\'id llals have go ne
:1 kind of inviulable pact Ih:1I ~ cal s lh c revcrsi bil-
o\"er 10 rea lil\'.
. tu t.heir own rcalin',
, b\', elil11i nat -
ity of things.
ing all considerati o n of lh e du al and the
inso luble. And th e mystcry of t.hi s positivc crys- I f their own duplicity dese rt s hu man beings.

I:lUi z:u ion, of this suspensio n of do ubt :1bom the t.hen the ro les :l rc reversed: it is the machin e Ihat

rcal - necessa rik, real- wo rld rem:l1n s e nnre. goes gag:l, that fal le rs and bccolllcs pe rve rse,

68 69