Just as a word cannot replace the object it names, so too would an imitation of that object be impossible to replace it, according to the theory. The levels of representation are defined by three states: physical, symbolic, and systemic. If we analyze them carefully, one state necessarily demands the other, which is why the meaning of representation is only possible within a context. Beyond a well-achieved imitation, it will only be that: an imitation. The image is created as a substitute, using the necessary keys to identify it in a symbolic system; but the resulting model can always be criticized, because we are capable of seeing more than we can represent.
