Towards a Philosophy of Photography [Paperback]

Vilem Flusser (Author), Vilm Flusser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000 | ISBN-10: 1861890761 | ISBN-13: 978-1861890764 0

Media philosopher Vilém Flusser proposed a revolutionary new way of thinking about photography. An analysis of the medium in terms of aesthetics, science and politics provided him with new ways of understanding both the cultural crises of the past and the new social forms nascent within them. Flusser showed how the transformation of textual into visual culture (from the linearity of history into the two-dimensionality of magic) and of industrial into post-industrial society (from work into leisure) went hand in hand, and how photography allows us to read and interpret these changes with particular clarity.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As both an art medium and a way to record events, photography has become ubiquitous in our increasingly image-driven culture since its invention in the early 1800s. These two interesting books take a serious academic look at how photography has influenced culture. Prague-born philosopher Flusser (1920-91) concerned himself with design, communication, and language. His illuminating essays, originally published in German in 1983, are offered in English for the first time. Flusser describes a world fundamentally changed by the invention of the "technical image" and the mechanisms that support and define industrialized modern culture. He argues that whereas ideas were previously interpreted by written account, the invention of photography allows the creation of images (ideas) taken at face value as truth, not interpretation that can be endlessly replicated and spread worldwide. His essays identify players in this model (his lexicon includes the Apparatus, the Functionary, and the Technical Image) and warn of rising illiteracy owing to an uncritical faith in photography's "reality." Flusser does not speak of specific photographs or images but of the larger forces at work in the increasingly technical and automated world. Unlike Flusser, Batchen (art and art history, Univ. of New Mexico) delves intricately into individual works to explicate his thoughts, digging into such topics as the invention of photography, the medium's impending demise, photography about photography, and "da(r)ta" digital art that comments on its own structure. Conveying a deep respect for the importance of photography, he laments the way images have become commodities in the digital age. Batchen also explores the history of photography and looks at larger cultural forces from within the framework of the medium. This collection of nine recent essays of various origins (with thorough notes and index) contains some repetition, but that small complaint is outweighed by Batchen's compelling arguments and analyses. Of interest to photographers, historians, and philosophers, both books will serve multiple audiences and are recommended for academic and large public libraries. Debora Miller, Minneapolis
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A relatively little-known but significant text. -- Lindsay Smith, The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Studies

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Reaktion Books (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861890761
• ISBN-13: 978-1861890764
• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.4 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Criticism & Essays
  • #58 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photo Essays

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars understanding photogrpahy philosophically November 15, 2009

By R. M. Van Boeschoten

Format:Paperback

This book by Flusser is so densely written that it is a joy to come to it again and again. It gives you a deep understanding of photography and of camera's. The digital culture cannot be properly understood without this philosophical work. Culture and technology are framed in a precise and fascinating manner.
For anyone interested in digital culture this is a must.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars astonishing and extremely inspiring March 7, 2010

By Ting Zhang

Format:Paperback

Towards a Philosophy of Photography by Vilem Flusser is an astonishing and extremely inspiring book. It uses the simplest language to depict the most profound issues in photography. But it is not only about photography, it has to do with everyone of us. In the end, we have to know what we are living for is to find freedom. I feel I can die after I read this book. The reason I could not is that as a photographer and a human being, it is my duty to find the space for human struggle inside the apparatus.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic January 12, 2009

By Cristiano Burmester

Format:Paperback

This is a classic for those interested in image, photography and culture. Concise and provocative, Flusser helps the reader to thing about the roles of photography, the technical image and the culture of image we live in.