Thursday 27 April 2017

The Parable of the Image

The man turned to the other and asked him: ‘If this ‘image’ is so ubiquitous, could you at least give an example of one?’
‘Certainly,’ the other replied and showed the man a photograph.
‘But this is a piece of paper imprinted with tiny dots of a water-based ink.’
‘Well,’ said the other, ‘if you’re going to be like that it is obvious that you will not understand me.’
The man was silent for a bit. Then he turned to the other once again and told him he will present a unicorn, upon which he produced a horse with a carrot tied to its face.
‘But,’ observed the other, ‘this is a horse with a carrot tied to its face.’
‘Well,’ the man answered, ‘if you’re going to be like that it is obvious that you will not understand me.’