The Society of the Spectacle
The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debordby Guy Debord
Shares rank 11 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
Recommended because readers find its critique still highly applicable today, and it works as a first read before Baudrillard.
Recommended because readers find its critique still highly applicable today, and it works as a first read before Baudrillard.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still applicable to today
“When I reread this, I was alarmed at how applicable it is today.”
Comment from 3 Nov 2025 in “Is the Internet Making Culture Worse?” Good to read before Baudrillard
“it is useful to read Debord first, and then move to Baudrillard”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Simulacra and Simulation”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby Laozi | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Society of the Spectacleby Guy DebordThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it is useful to read Debord first, and then move to Baudrillard”
“When I reread this, I was alarmed at how applicable it is today.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.