VAGABOND post-class 2/11

In class the other day, we discussed Walter Benjamin’s writing on the concept of value in terms of mass production. We used a lot of art works as examples because we recognize the "authentic" prior to actually seeing it as a result of mass production. Textbooks, among other forms of media, has made it possible for one to understand the importance of the original work. Benjamin states “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.” This quote seems to be questioning whether or not all the products in mass production have the same value as the authentic. I do not think replicas are of the same value as the authentic because there is the existence of copyright laws is made to protect those who come up with original ideas, without it no one would ever want or bother to create otherwise. Does something need to be a commodity and "worth" buying in another person's eyes for it to be of value? I don't really know but I suppose it's just rubbish if no one sees it "worthwhile." So what makes something original? Perhaps only the figment of your imagination is and once you put add reality into the equation, there has to be changes in order to make the idea constructable.