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Quote by Stanley Cavell

“A photograph does not present us with ‘likenesses’ of things; it presents us, we want to say, with the things themselves. But wanting to say that may well make us ontologically restless. ‘Photographs present us with things themselves’ sounds, and ought to sound, paradoxical … It is no less paradoxical or false to hold up a photograph of Garbo and say, ‘That is not Garbo,’ if all you mean is that the object you are holding up is not a human creature. Such troubles in notating so obvious a fact suggest that we do not know what a photograph is; we do not know how to place it ontologically. We might say that we don’t know how to think of the connection between a photograph and what it is a photograph of.”

Quote by Stanley Cavell

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Stanley Cavell
Stanley Cavell

Stanley Cavell, born on September 1, 1926, is a renowned philosopher from the United States. His research focuses on moral philosophy, film philosophy, and literary theory, particularly known for his in-depth exploration of the relationship between film and philosophy. more

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