The Civilization of the Image and the Urgency of an Ethical Imagination

Abstract

This article addresses the problem of how the contemporary civilization of the image—characterized by visual saturation, affective standardization, and the instrumentalization of the gaze—imposes specific obstacles to ethical imagination. The main objective of this research, with a theoretical-analytical scope, is to examine these obstacles (the erosion of narrative empathy, the weakening of critical judgment, and the closure of shared symbolic horizons) and to vindicate the ethical dimension of imagination as a transgressive force. The conceptual framework lies at the intersection of social theory —society of the spectacle, simulacrum, pornographic society, society of screens— and the philosophy of imagination, drawing upon, among others, María Noel Lapoujade. The methodology employed to support the thesis is a conceptual analysis in three stages: first, an analysis of the regime of the visible and its ways of interpellating the imagination; second, a historical-philosophical tracing of the concept of imagination; and third, an exploration of the potential of ethical imagination. The results of this analysis demonstrate that ethical imagination, understood as a situated and embodied faculty, makes it possible to construct collective narratives, recognize alterity, and project possible futures. The article concludes that ethical imagination is not an evasion of reality, but rather a condition of possibility for its transformation. One of the implications of the study is the urgency of its cultivation to resist the homogenization of dominant visual logics, in favor of freer, more empathetic, and pluralistic societies.