WITHOUT THINKING

The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote that “Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.” It seems to me that this profound observation can be applied to buildings. I open a door, the door handle is at a certain height, near the edge of the door that swings open into the room I am entering. If it is a lever handle, I turn it down—not up—to open the door. Where is the light switch? On the inside wall, on the side where the door opens. I perform all these operations without ... Read more

The post WITHOUT THINKING first appeared on Witold Rybczynski.