According to Borgmann, a spigot is a 'device' whereas a well is a 'thing'. But in what respects is a spigot different from a well? Don't we use both items for the same purpose? The answer that Borgmann wants to give is that the well invites, and even demands, participation in a "web of relations." A spigot does not. Please comment on Borgmann's distinction. Do you think that he is suffering from an acute case of nostalgia? Is that necessarily a bad thing?
1 comment:
I believe that Borgmann is being nostalgic, but that this in fact is not a bad thing. As with many other devices that we use today, I'm quite sure that most of us have no idea where our water comes from. Even if we did, how many of us understand the purification process we have to clean our water? At this point, I think we could even consider our source of getting water as a commodity, the third wave of technology. Progressively, we have gone from a thing (the well) to a device (a spigot) to a commodity (water systems). Honestly, we are getting so far from any connection with our technology, any form of nostalgia is in dire need.
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