The Meaning of the Image

This work concerns the idea of the image in contemporary philosophical thought. The author surveys various theories on the meaning of the technical image in society in order to determine her own relationship to the image as a contemporary film director. These theorizations of the ?image? will not distinguish between still or moving images, a discussion of why this is so will occur. Three theorists provide a framework to think critically about the image. First, the ideas of Vilem Flusser in his 1983 essay Towards a Philosophy of Photography provide a pessimistic view of the technical image as responsible for the robotization of society. His ideas are contrasted to those of Roland Barthes in his 1981 essay Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. Barthes provides a more optimistic and humanistic perspective on the relationship between human beings and their photographs. The most recent theoretical work published in 2003, The Future of the Image by Jacques Rancierre will bridge the works of Flusser and Barthes and introduce Godard to our discussions. Both the writings and films of Godard will be discussed in the last chapters. As both theorist and film director, Jean-Luc Godard is a useful example to explore the meaning of the image for a film director. The conclusion will offer the author?s own position on the subject