3 ms·
I love the dream of building things to last. If humans left earth this instant, what would remain useful in 1000 years? Most of what we use today would perish
by tylerneylon 15y ago
I love the dream of building things to last. If humans left earth this instant, what would remain useful in 1000 years? Most of what we use today would perish, so there is a sense of overwhelming disposability or high-maintenance around our lifestyles.
Rather than viewing this disposability as a weakness, perhaps we can see it as an element of wise design. By analogy, the human body leans heavily towards self-repair rather than monolithic permanence. Perhaps it is a good thing that our day-to-day designs depend so much on active use and maintenance. If no one continues to use it, why does it need to keep working?
- v21 15y agoThis only works if design is whole-lifecycle design - if the cheap disposable crap we produce (and rely on, and luxuriate in) can be taken apart and reused after. If cheap fashion predominates, with clothes that fall apart after a season, you need a plan for disposing of those clothes more urgently than you need a plan for disposing of clothes that last a decade.