Jean Baudrillard

Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher, and cultural theorist whose work examined how modern societies produce meaning through signs, images, and consumption. He became widely known for developing the concepts of simulacra, simulation, and hyperreality, arguing that representations can come to replace or obscure any stable sense of the “real.” Baudrillard also offered influential critiques of consumer culture, mass media, and the political spectacle, exploring how commodities and communication systems shape everyday life. His writings, often provocative and aphoristic, helped define late-20th-century debates in social theory, cultural studies, and postmodern thought.