Guy Debord Notion of the "Spectacle"

On a Masterpiece of the French Critical Tradition Toward Modernity

Have you ever heard the name of Guy Debord (1931–1994)? Debord was a French filmmaker, social commentator, and philosopher. He was a man of aphorisms. His literary production is considered modest in volume, but its impact is extraordinary. However, when we talk about him, it seems difficult to separate the man from the myth.

Some people presented him as a hero while others have pointed out that he was not a person who really followed his own teachings.

His most influential work entitled La Société du spectacle (1967) was translated into English as The Society of the Spectacle in 1970. This book criticizes a particular process of alienation that has become stronger in the second half of the twentieth century.