A reference from the World Wide Web
PROGRAMME NOTE: This is a translation of Baudrillard's LA PENSEE RADICALE, published in the fall of 1994 in French by Sens and Tonka, eds., Collection Morsure, Paris, 1994. The translator, Francoise Debrix, is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Theory and International Relations at Purdue University. THE PROGRAMME includes it to demonstrate the French-flavored play of thought about language, reality, illusion, and Baudrillard's special province, "the simulacrum." The piece is 30 pages long on screen. Some choice quotes:
"Radical thought bets on the illusion of the world." (p.8)
"Nobody really believes in the real."
"The definition of radical thought: an intelligence without hope, but a fortunate and happy form." (p.19)
Paradox characterizes Baudrillard's typical turn of phrase. He turns the ordinary way of thinking about things upside down. Yet in the long run we hear a comfort in his talk about hopelessness and illusion. We go back to THE PROGRAMME's image of the folk around the fire; they are seeking some solace in the face of the immensity out there. We think about them as we near the end of this essay.
Radical Thought, by Jean Baudrillard [NOTE 22 August 2001: I broke this link because on this date it was cold. The URL appears below in case anyone wishes to chase the source through the web.]
http://www.freedonia.com/ctheory/a25-radical_thought.html
27 December 1995
Edited 22 August 2001