I read the article titled The System of Objects written by Jean
Baudrillad; this article contained many stimulating points and evoked some
interesting thoughts. However the vernacular of this article made it particularly
difficult for me to read, this may be just my personal opinion but it seemed so
abstract that I was constantly getting lost in-between ideas. Other than that
the authors attempt to relate objects to a spoken language and the designations
that he made about objects and technology were very astute. The questions that Jean
asked at the end of this article were significant because it gave me the
ability to think back to the most important points that were made. The one question
that stood out the most to me was “by what means does this ‘speech’ system (or
this system which falls somewhere between language and speech) override the linguistic
system”? To this question I would have to answer that objects create an understanding
that transcends language barriers but the lack of ability to effectively
communicate this understanding still exists. For instance two mechanics that
speak different languages may have the same understanding of how vehicles work but
their ability to communicate this understanding may be hindered by their language
differences.
Zachariah,
ReplyDeleteIt was a tough read! Definitely one that will make more and more sense the more we experience and learn about objects... I think it is important to grasp his ideas not just about the linguistic definitions (or boundaries) we place on things but that the objects themselves do live in an ever-changing ever-fluctuating system of technological advancement. I mean, just think of how many ipods there are now... Baudrillard discusses the beauty of something to purely function to fit human needs but also to embody personal intentions and aesthetic decisions.
The last part of your response is intriguing and shows that even though this article was a difficult read, you took away the basic idea of it in your own way. I didn't think about the concept of different languages when Baudrillard was comparing the syllables of speech to the "syllables" of object classifications he named "technemes". Could our individual vocabularies and meanings we give words be in any way comparable to speaking different languages? We can communicate successfully on a surface level but won't differences still remain just in the way that we understand our own language? Our very personal understanding of objects around us simply can't be put into words that will mean the exact thing to the next person.
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