The Peculiar Unreality of Spectacle

August 17, 2023

by Charles Hugh Smith Of Two Minds

Isn’t AI just a shoddy facsimile of authentic expertise that “serves the state and the media” in a new theater of Spectacle?

Longtime correspondent Zeus Y. recently shared this thought-provoking article: Guy Debord’s Warning of ‘The Role of the Expert:’ A Philosophical Perspective on the Rise of Fact-Checking.

The article sheds light on the current phenomenon of fact-checking and reliance on “experts” by referencing French philosopher Guy Debord’s 1967 book, The Society of the Spectacle. (This is a PDF of the entire text.)

Here are some insightful excerpts from the article: