Jean Baudrillard

Born in Reims in 1929, he was the first in his family to attend university, studying German literature before turning to sociology. His 1981 essay Simulacra and Simulation argued that contemporary society had replaced reality with signs and symbols, producing a condition of hyperreality in which copies precede and override originals. The book became foundational to postmodern cultural theory and later gained wide notoriety after being referenced in The Matrix. Among his other influential works are The Consumer Society (1970) and America (1986). He died in Paris in March 2007.