How Are Things? A Philosophical Experiment

by Roger-Pol Droit

Can we learn anything from the objects that surround us, the things we use in everyday life? If you look closely, yes. They may ignore us, they mostly outlive us, but they are the secret sharers of our days, as close to us as our spouses, our pets, our bodies, our selves. Things coexist with us, they store meanings for us - memories, desires - but do they inhabit the same world? Are they alive or dead? Do they have language? Can we make friends with them? Over the course of one year Roger-Pol Droit assigned himself an to keep a cross-border record of his meetings with unremarkable sunglasses, an alarm clock, a chest of drawers, a train ticket, a statue, a tombstone, a wheelbarrow, a bottle-opener, a razor...This book is the diary of that quest. We might discover in these pages that a paperclip is a model of ethics, that a bunch of keys or a streeetlamp are figures of love; that a washing-machine offers a lesson on the migration of souls, and that there is wisdom in the umbrella. That we are not the only life on earth. Here, taking one thing at a time, are fifty close encounters.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Design

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Aziff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Observe everyday mundane items, apply a philosophical thought into it: and this is basically what this book is about. I first forayed into its pages, expecting an intriguing and mind-exercising journey but eventually found it to be quite a dull read. Sure, R. Droit's philosophical observations and interpretations in our daily objects gives things an interesting perspective but other than that - I found this book superficial at best despite its great attempts to lead me down a philosophical lane. A good philosophy book (in my opinion) should challenge beliefs and let you see the World differently, this book does little of it. Quite unfortunately, seeing that it had a great potential to do so.

[Gabrielle Danoux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comment philosopher au quotidien : votre éponge mémorise par rétention, vos lunettes de soleil sont des masques portatifs et inversés (le masque cache en principe tout sauf les yeux), la vie est omniprésente dans vos ordinateurs les virus en sont la preuve.
Plus ludique que le "Parti pris des choses" de Francis Ponge, plus superficiel aussi.

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

A philosophical experiment to find out how things are? Things in the sense of paperclips, streetlights, computers, wheelbarrows etc. Fun idea but after initially finding it quite good I quickly got pretty bored with it. Not helped by the fact that it's a translation from French and seems heavily overloaded with romance language type words (is it ok when translating to convert things to more regular English? This translator didn't seem to think so.) as well as anecdotes that don't really work in translation.

[Shahirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a self-confessed logophile, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe that's thanks in part to the translator, but there's no denying that Roger-Pol Droit is really creative. He took a seemingly innocuous question ("How are things?") extremely literally, and over the course of a year, came up with philosophical musings about a wide range of things (for example, frying pan, spirit level, bowl...). He ponders over these seemingly banal things that we take for granted, making us realise how truly amazing and inspired these human creations are.

[Ben Loory · Rating 4 out of 5]

a relaxed, somewhat floaty, and very french analysis of everyday objects. like staplers. and hand drills.

here's the ending of the one about hand drills:

Perhaps, to become free, one must succeed in drilling one's head outwards from inside. Providing one has ideas that are sufficiently inspiring and conical. It takes a little time to pierce the cranium, naturally. But once the hole is drilled, the air can circulate. Something that mystics know all about.

good stuff.

[Madteapartier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking, whimsical read, which does indeed make one consider the nature of 'things' and our relationship to them. Looking forward to reading the author's other book - 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have re-read this lovely book three times now, and learn more each time. A delightful collection of observations and thoughtfulness.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I thought many of the short things chapters were not sufficiently interesting, and there is much rambling.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never look at an object carelessly again.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

phenomenology (thinking about things) at its best; one of the most poetic vols of philosophy I've found in ages (quite unlike his other stuff which is very mediocre by contrast)