Ethics and post-evolution: The role of hyperreal adaptations in shaping popular cultural perceptions of animals

In A Theory of Adaptation , Linda Hutcheon considers Darwinist claims that some animal stories survive more readily than others. Just as natural selection drives evolution, genetic selection and memetic cultural transmission drive the evolution, mutation and flourishing of adaptations in ever-changing narratives and technological environments. In the telling and retelling of stories, it invites a state of hyperreality, where copies of copies are believed to be real. Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality describes a condition wherein the boundaries between reality and its simulated representations become indistinguishable. He states that ‘[i]t is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality’. In a state of hyperreality, adaptations and representations can assume greater significance and authenticity than the actual reality they depict. Consequently, the simulated experiences and images are perceived as more real and authentic than the tangible reality from which they originate. The hyperreality of film adaptations has been explored through the telling of historical narratives, nation-building and authenticity. Modern adaptations of historical events, especially when delivered through a contemporary lens, have the ability to reshape our understanding of the past. Art and entertainment permeate our consciousness, moulding our identities. Consequently, we become a reflection of what we engage with, and in a dialectical process, we subsequently reshape the world according to our transformed selves. Thus, entertainment facilitates tangible changes in the real world. These are the key ideas examined in this article.