Vil茅m Flusser (Author of Towards a Philosophy of Photography)

Vil茅m Flusser鈥檚 Followers (160)

Vil茅m Flusser

Born

in Prague, Czech Republic

May 12, 1920

Died

November 27, 1991

Genre

Arts & Photography, Philosophy

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Vil茅m Flusser was a philosopher born in Czechoslovakia. He lived for a long period in Brazil and later in France, and his works are written in several different languages.
His early work was marked by discussion of the thought of Martin Heidegger, and by the influence of existentialism and phenomenology. Phenomenology would play a major role in the transition to the later phase of his work, in which he turned his attention to the philosophy of communication and of artistic production. He contributed to the dichotomy in history: the period of image worship, and period of text worship, with deviations consequently into idolatry and "textolatry".

Flusser was born in 1920 in Prague into a family of Jewish intellectuals. His father, Gustav Flusser Vil茅m Flusser was a philosopher born in Czechoslovakia. He lived for a long period in Brazil and later in France, and his works are written in several different languages.
His early work was marked by discussion of the thought of Martin Heidegger, and by the influence of existentialism and phenomenology. Phenomenology would play a major role in the transition to the later phase of his work, in which he turned his attention to the philosophy of communication and of artistic production. He contributed to the dichotomy in history: the period of image worship, and period of text worship, with deviations consequently into idolatry and "textolatry".

Flusser was born in 1920 in Prague into a family of Jewish intellectuals. His father, Gustav Flusser, studied mathematics and physics (under Albert Einstein among others). Flusser attended German and Czech primary schools and later a German grammar school.

In 1938, Flusser started to study philosophy at the Juridical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague. In 1939, shortly after the Nazi occupation, Flusser emigrated to London to continue his studies for one term at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Vil茅m Flusser lost all of his family in the German concentration camps: his father died in Buchenwald in 1940; his grandparents, his mother and his sister were brought to Auschwitz and later to Theresienstadt where they were killed. The next year, he emigrated to Brazil, living both in S茫o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

In 1960 he started to collaborate with the Brazilian Institute for Philosophy (IBF) in S茫o Paulo and published in the Revista Brasileira de Filosofia; by these means he seriously approached the Brazilian intellectual community. During that decade he published and taught at several schools in S茫o Paulo, being Lecturer for Philosophy of Science at the Escola Polit茅cnica of the University of S茫o Paulo and Professor of Philosophy of Communication at the Escola Dram谩tica and the Escola Superior de Cinema in S茫o Paulo. He also participated actively in the arts, collaborating with the Bienal de S茫o Paulo, among other cultural events.

Beginning in the 1950s he taught philosophy and functioned as a journalist, before publishing his first book L铆ngua e realidade (Language and Reality) in 1963. In 1972 he decided to leave Brazil.

He lived in both Germany and the South of France. To the end of his life, he was quite active writing and giving lectures around media theory. He died in 1991 in a car accident, while visiting his native Prague to give a lecture. ...more

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Vil茅m Flusser鈥檚 books

Average rating: 4.14 · 2,914 ratings · 221 reviews · 78 distinct works 鈥� Similar authors

	Towards a Philosophy of Photography by Vil茅m Flusser, Hubertus Von Amelunxen (Introduction), Anthony Mathews (Translator) 4.04 avg rating — 1,269 ratings — published 1983 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vampyroteuthis Infernalis: A Treatise, with a Report by the Institut Scientifique de Recherche Paranaturaliste, Vol. 23 by Vil茅m Flusser, Louis Bec 4.16 avg rating — 295 ratings — published 1993 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Into the Universe of Technical Images by Vil茅m Flusser, Nancy Ann Roth (欧宝娱乐 Author) (Translator), Mark Poster (Introduction) 4.30 avg rating — 221 ratings — published 1985 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	O Mundo Codificado by Vil茅m Flusser, Raquel Abi-S芒mara (Translator) 4.37 avg rating — 216 ratings — published 1998 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Shape of Things by Vil茅m Flusser, Anthony Mathews (Translator) 4.06 avg rating — 232 ratings — published 1993 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Does Writing Have a Future? by Vil茅m Flusser, Mark Poster (Introduction), Nancy Ann Roth (欧宝娱乐 Author) (Translation) 4.11 avg rating — 107 ratings — published 1987 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gestures by Vil茅m Flusser, Nancy Ann Roth (欧宝娱乐 Author) (Translator) 4.06 avg rating — 83 ratings — published 1991 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Post-History by Vil茅m Flusser, Rodrigo Maltez Novaes (欧宝娱乐 Author) (Translator) 4.34 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 1993 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Writings (Volume 6) (Electronic Mediations) 4.35 avg rating — 60 ratings — published 2001 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The History of the Devil by Vil茅m Flusser, Rodrigo Maltez Novaes (欧宝娱乐 Author) (Translator) 4.12 avg rating — 51 ratings — published 1993 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Vil茅m Flusser (?)

“Both those taking snaps and documentary photographers, however, have not understood 'information.' What they produce are camera memories, not information, and the better they do it, the more they prove the victory of the camera over the human being.”
― Vil茅m Flusser, Towards a Philosophy of Photography

tags: art, ethics, photograph, photography

22 likes

“The task of a philosophy of photography is to reflect upon this possibility of freedom - and thus its significance - in a world dominated by apparatuses; to reflect upon the way in which, despite everything, it is possible for human beings to give significance to their lives in the face of the chance necessity of death. Such a philosophy is necessary because it is the only form of revolution left open to us.”
― Vil茅m Flusser, Towards a Philosophy of Photography

tags: art, ethics, photograph, photography

13 likes

“Changing the question 'free from what?' into 'free for what?'; this change that occurs when freedom has been achieved has accompanied me on my migrations like a basso continuo. This is what we are like, those of us who are nomads, who come out of the collapse of a settled way of life.”
― Vil茅m Flusser

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Vil茅m Flusser鈥檚 Followers (160)

Vil茅m Flusser

Combine EditionsVil茅m Flusser鈥檚 books

Combine Editions
Vil茅m Flusser鈥檚 books