Since the Rubberbandits introduced the nation to the thoughts of Jean Baudrillard the other night the level of debate has surely risen a few notches, particularly when it comes to our awareness of what is and isn’t real. Or maybe we’ve just been conditioned to think that way (see what I mean?). For instance, forget whether anyone can hear a tree falling in an empty forest: if an Irish team doesn’t win on Irish television has it really claimed victory?

JEAN Baudrillard, a French philosopher and social theorist known for his provocative commentaries on consumerism, excess and what he claimed was the disappearance of reality, has died.

A controversial French philosopher has reiterated claims that the Gulf War never happened.