Simulation

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The New Oxford American Dictionary (via Apple OSX) defines simulation as "the action of pretending" but in "Precession of Simulacra" on p.3 of Simulacra & Simulation, Jean Baudrillard differentiates between pretending and simulation. Pretending [dissimulating] leaves the principle of reality intact. The difference is always clear; it's simply masked. Whereas simulation threatens the differentiation between true and false. "Whoever fakes [dissimulates] an illness can simply stay in bed and make everyone believe he is ill. Whoever simulates an illness produces in himself some of the symptoms." Is the simulator sick or not?


"Save My Ass Daily Declaration," from Predator, Joe Frank, 1999:


He argues on p.4 that all crazy simulate—in that they fail to distinguish between reason and passion. (See also: Logos/Eros) This theme is explored in Joe Frank's radio show Predator, broadcast on Dec. 5. 1999. In the program, a prison psychologist teaches a prisoner the "Save my Ass Daily Declaration" which asks him to "edit out" his crazy thoughts and feelings and only express the sane ones. This philosophy suggests that a state of sanity isn't freedom from insanity altogether, but the ability to distinguish between what is sane and what is insane — moving the locus of sanity outward from affect to expression.