Only human

摘要

When seeking a metaphor for the "real" or the "authentic," our linguistic inclinations lead us to images of material solidity that we can hold tightly against our own body. Thus, in our conventional view of "reality," such tangible "stuff" represents our golden standard of authenticity, with all else, from facsimiles to replicas to pictures to descriptions, regarded as surrogates, substitutes, or at least as something of lessened reality— and usually of reduced worth.