The Metaphysics of Trash
Ownership is a ubiquitous human concept that influences how people use and relate to objects. Its nature and origins have been the subject of major philosophical expositions. Some philosophers have noted that people’s personality can sometimes be reflected in their possessions and that property permits self-expression.
People experience a sense of o
... See morePhenomenological Origins of Psychological Ownership
Haider Riaz Khan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4586-6145 and John Turri
In Pasadena, California, photographer Gregg Segal embarked on a project capturing individuals from diverse backgrounds and ages within his garden. Utilizing three distinct settings - water, beach, and forest - Segal juxtaposed each subject amidst a week’s accumulation of their waste. Participants were tasked with gathering and preserving all their ... See more
instagram.comThe Liminality of Waste more Generally
Waste is a socially and culturally constructed idea shaped by human perceptions of value.
• It is defined by what we no longer want or find useful, such as outdated electronics or food scraps.
• This perception is influenced by consumer culture, convenience, and a desire for novelty.
• Factors like the "out of si
... See moreWaste is unveiling. As we find ourselves standing in garbage that we know is our own, we find also that it is garbage we have chosen to make, and having chosen to make it could choose not to make it. Because waste is unveiling, we remove it.
James P. Carse • Finite and Infinite Games
The Liminality of Landfills
Landfills are physically liminal because they are spaces of transition, occupying a threshold between former and future uses. The land itself is in an unstable, transitory state, with decomposing waste causing the ground to settle and shift. This makes it unfit for most construction for decades, a physical manifestation o
... See moreI hate looking into my trash can. When I lived alone, I was usually the only one filling that trash bag, and it made me very aware of the physicality of my existence. It felt absolutely deplorable, how quickly I would restock my trash can, as if I were capitalism itself’s most dutiful employee
Garbage Anxiety: Intimacy and Interconnection at the Landfill by Vasi Bjeletich
The things we own are real. They exist here and now as a result of choices made in the past by no one other than ourselves. It is dangerous to ignore them or to discard them indiscriminately as if denying the choices we made. This is why I am against both letting things pile up and dumping things indiscriminately. It is only when we face the things
... See moreMarie Kondo • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up)
