Monday, January 30, 2006

value of things

Though the spigot and the well both exist for the same purpose, Borgmann's point seems to be that drawing water from the well required effort and special knowledge and because of this the drink of water received was appreciated more. With spigots, water is taken for granted. About the only time I pay attention to the water in my house is when the water has been turned off for some reason and I need to take a shower.

For Borgmann, devices hide the means of providing the commodity. This not only lessens the value of the product (we tend not to appreciate things unless we work for them) but also causes us as human beings to lose anchors into reality. Borgmann may be a bit nostalgic when he talks about the olden days and the wheel wrights (overlooking just how much work is involved in such things) but he has a point. I crocheted a scarf for my sister for Christmas. I traded the free time I would have gained by just buying her one in return for the new techniques I learned, the talks with my mom about the different stitches, the personalization of the work. I invested my time in the piece and I think it was more appreciated for that.

Devices seem to devalue commodities.

No comments: