The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

by Annie Murphy Paul

He continues: “A sign saying ‘wait here’ would be superfluous in the vestibule of the cathedral or temple, as the appropriate behavior or action is already inscribed in the architecture and ritual practices of the place. Neither would we require a text saying ‘Think of God,’ or ‘Consider your finitude’ in such places. In fact it could be said that we are already caught up in such thought by virtue of being in the sacred place.” But such rich signification is missing from non-places. What meaning or message is inscribed on a featureless chain store, or a generic hotel lobby, or the bleak urban “plaza” that surrounds many a skyscraper? What thoughts are inspired, what emotions are stirred by a row of beige cubicles, or a classroom housed inside a windowless trailer? We are set adrift in such spaces, alienated and purposeless. This is not simply a question of aesthetics; it is a question of what we think, how we act, who we are.