Return to Saussure

Abstract This article examines the concept of séduction in the work of Jean Baudrillard as a decisive shift away from the paradigms of production , desire , and representation that structure modern thought. Rather than referring to erotic persuasion or psychological influence, seduction designates a symbolic logic grounded in appearances, ritual play, and reversibility. Through a close reading of De la séduction (1979) and its relation to later works, the article situates seduction within Baudrillard’s broader reconfiguration of the symbolic order, emphasizing its opposition to production and its alignment with challenge , gift exchange , and the destabilization of fixed positions. Particular attention is given to the notion of reversibility , understood as a disruption of linear relations between subject and object, cause and effect, and sign and meaning. The article also explores the conceptual implications of translating séduction into English, arguing that the term “sedu...

Abstract This article reconsiders séduction as a central yet frequently misunderstood concept in the work of Jean Baudrillard. Against dominant readings that assimilate seduction to desire or psychological influence, it argues that Baudrillard mobilizes the term to designate a symbolic logic irreducible to production , representation , or subjectivity . Seduction is approached here as a strategy of appearances structured by reversibility, challenge, and the circulation of signs. By situating De la séduction (1979) within the trajectory of Baudrillard’s thought—from symbolic exchange to simulation—the article shows how seduction functions as a counter-principle to the modern imperative of visibility and realization. A central focus is placed on the problem of translation: the passage from séduction to “seduction” is read as a symptomatic reinscription that re-psychologizes a concept intended to displace the primacy of desire. In dialogue with Jacques Derrida, the article suggests ...