Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Its Mechanical Reproducibility"

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In this episode, I turn to Walter Benjamin's seminal text, "The Work of Art in the Age of Its Mechanical Reproducibility." Contrary to what some might think, I try to present the way that Benjamin applauds the 'death' of the aura in the age of mechanical reproducibility and the political ramifications of this moment.

[@jecksyy]

My Uni Professor told us to watch this video. It's really good. I was worried about my mind drifting off, but your way of talking made it entertaining, and easy to follow. I feel like I actually understand the text now. Thank you.

[@mfenjoyer9678]

Thank you SO SO much for this. I had a hard time understanding the point of the text in relation to film and you made it so much easier. I had geniune confusion with the language but now I can finally smash that essay I've been putting off haha! 🙌

[@victorlacerda8015]

Really like your takes on these subjects. Subscribed.

[@terminalglimmer]

Thanks for clearing this up! I had trouble sussing out Benjamin's key premises here (I have difficulty reading), and as you pointed out in your explanation, it almost seemed like he was mourning the death of the aura when he meant the opposite. The text makes a LOT more sense to me now in light of this.

[@parthpant8894]

Very very comprehensive. Thank you so much for interpreting this heavy work for us!! John Berger's book Ways of Seeing and its televised adaptation (Episode 1) is an interesting illustration of Benjamin's ideas- one can also check that out.

[@bakedinthekitchen92]

thank you for helping me understand the text. this was very helpful

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

Happy to hear it!

[@caseyrobertson9071]

Thank you for a such a clear analysis! I'm looking forward to viewing more of your videos.

[@Furinkhan]

Thank you so much for doing this podcast!

[@alanastewart6199]

this was so so helpful and well explained tysm!

[@TypoDiabetes]

This really broke it down for me, thanks!

[@jennak9744]

This was super helpful, thank you so much!

[@waylonwraith5266]

Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels

[@tjasajurman]

Wonderful take, I am really thankful for your thoughts!

[@NexGenVision0]

Complete study notes: Walter Benjamin- "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" eliteraturenotes.blogspot.com/p/walter-benjamin-work-of-art-in-age-of.html?m=1

[@yassminabdulmalik245]

This is a very good video! The ideas are very interesting to discuss, and relate back to our current world problem of the commodification of art and the downplay of the craft, especially in regards to AI generated images

[@aaryanpavvitchhabra9265]

Just saved my life, thank you so much!

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

Happy to hear it :)

[@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791]

Lol, why is this video only available in 360 and 1080p?

[@prerna22munshi]

Thanks for bringing in this perspective of Benjamin applauding the idea of mechanical reproduction of art. Initially when I read, I thought he was in favour of conserving art in its purist sense. Thank you for bringing out this essential perspective.

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

Happy to hear it! And I definitely thought the same thing lol

[@tinawalker8174]

Clear, insightful lecture thank you 🙏 and I agree the magic of the moon evades description👍

[@vauchomarx6733]

Really been enjoying your videos lately! Also, I feel like Benjamin, particularly this book, couldn't be more relevant than today, in the age of memes and videos…

[@cucu4844]

You posted this awhile ago, but I was wondering: acccording to you does benjamin consider the shift to exhibition value as a good thing or not?

[@jasonkim1854]

I appreciate your videos and I have been listening to the work you are doing in summarizing Baudrillard for my own research so thank you!... but I think that your take on Benjamin is missing his larger point in the power he saw in film as a vehicle for revolution (a new social function of art as the field of "play" that you noted) and his warning of how, conversely, film is being used to aestheticize politics & war by fascists and to manipulate and control the masses (by way of Mickey Mouse) by capitalists through the exploitation of our inescapable tendency towards cult value. For many reasons, the text remains highly relevant in our media based culture today and I pick up on new subtleties each time I read the text. Kudos for taking on such a rich topic that had withstood the test of time!

[@bluestarrynight96]

I have an exam on this tomorrow, thank you for explaining it so nicely!

[@keetahk8542]

I have to write a 2000 word essay in 2 days and i think your channel might have just saved me

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

Eeeeek! Good luck

[@renzo6173]

thank you this was really helpful

[@NexGenVision0]

Complete study notes: Walter Benjamin- "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" eliteraturenotes.blogspot.com/p/walter-benjamin-work-of-art-in-age-of.html?m=1

[@chikkachinijohannady]

Thanks. I wasn’t sure if I was understanding the book correctly. 😵‍💫

[@beautifuldesonance]

Will you be doing any videos on Spinoza?

[@charliehavenick9228]

can someone explain to me the beginning song? is it a larger comment about this piece lol

[@mouniaomlbanat1131]

شكرا لكم plz I want to know what the substantive duration and phisical existance and

[@3dbanana255]

Thanks a lot! 🙏🙏

[@cocomonroeX3]

THANK YOU!

[@livangarciaduquesne6205]

Thanks so much!

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

:)

[@tylerthom338]

That slow zoom in is killing me

[@13hehe]

Thank you so much. 500 times more helpful than my professor...

[@devidharani7763]

Thank you

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

You're welcome

[@roonieh9619]

Thank you but pls take it easy on the commercials (20!!!) thanks to KZbin

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

I know :/ it's my way to earn a little money to keep this going. If you find the podcast version, there are no ads.

[@roonieh9619]

@@TheoryPhilosophy No worries, I totally understand. I watched all of the commercials so that you can make some change. I struggle as a philosopher myself. In any case, thank you so much for the video. You did a fantastic job highlighting and explaining his main ideas. I'm going to sub.

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

@@roonieh9619 oh no! I make my few pennies whether you watch the commercials or not so skip if you can :)

[@sophiekuhn5342]

love my two favorite things coming together- marxism and films :)

[@gda295]

thnx v much

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

You're welcome 🙂

[@waderbyorchard9554]

It didn't really work out that art has become democratized, because the production of art is still by and large done by massive corporate conglomerates. This conception of art also muddies the waters between art and philosophy (which honestly I have no problem with, and would even promote myself to be honest) but today philosophy and art exist often on different realms from each other. Philosophy is by and large confined to academics, which sometimes bleeds into corporate policy or political party programs and the like, but it's not as if art and philosophy exist as a monolith and we have, due to reproduceability, a more democratic society where our creative and rational potential is expressed by and large. I think that terms like reactionary are unnecessary, because one might have a particular goal and then wish to work with the elements of reality and organize them in such a sense that they align with that goal. There is nothing reactionary about this. If there is, then one could say that anything which reacts to anything else is reactionary, and since we are always constantly interacting and affected by external objects then the term becomes ubiquitous and unhelpful.

[@sophiahej8826]

Thank you!

[@cherijoseph7819]

Benjamin's egalitarian and optomistic take in this essay really makes his suicide even more tragic. He would be agast a how thoughly capitalism has subsumed art.

[@ricardoyan7657]

Hello fellow Photographers 👋

[@anandithaanand7319]

What exactly is dadaism?

[@FXTC_trading]

its benjamin! not benamean... it's just hard to listen to with all the mispronunciations ...

[@TheoryPhilosophy]

Uhmmmm he's German

[@zissumanter]

J in German language not the same as in English.

[@deepthim5711]

It is not a wrong pronounciation