The Diderot effect

Have you thought about it! If you bought a new car, a brand new one. You may be very happy, but soon you think I have an old car porch to keep my car or my house does not look good, it's not new and never matches with my car…

Then you may think about upgrading your home, your dress, phone and even your shoes to match with the dress. 

Yes, it happens, not only in the case of a car but in any new item you bought. You may feel the desire to upgrade the associated materials. This is a simple example of the materialist psychology of consumerism.

The Diderot effect is a social phenomenon related to consumerism. This concept is based on two fundamental ideas, the first one is material purchased by a consumer aligned with their sense of identity, they will complement one another and purchase will go on. The second one is the introduction of new items or possessions that deviates from their current complementary goods and may lead to spiralling consumption. 

In 1988,  Grant McCracken a Canadian anthropologist and author, coined the name “Diderot effect” he was one of the scholars of consumption patterns and known for his books about culture and commerce.

Where did the name“Diderot effect” come from?

In the 18th century, French philosopher Denis Diderot first described this effect in an essay. In this essay, he tells about the gift of a luxury scarlet dressing gown that eventually plunges him into debt. He was happy with the gift, but later he was dissatisfied with the rest of his old possessions. He replaced almost everything and brought new and luxurious ones. For example, he replaced his old chair with a new Morocco leather chair, his writing-table replaced with an expensive one, and his home was modified. All his money and took out loans to buy new articles for his home. 

This was an extreme case, but there is a tendency in society that people may align their identity with their newly brought materials. And this psychology is a good fuel for capitalism.

In his essay, he says “Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown”. Here is one more term in McCracken's usage “Diderot unities”, A Diderot unity is a group of objects that are considered to be culturally complementary, in relation to one another.

Image: jobsanger.blogspot.com

Sileesh Mullasseri

Why are Indians born at home ?

In 2005, about 60% of Indians were born at home without proper medical assistance. However, in developed countries, having a human delivery at home is quite strange.

Why is this happening?

Obviously, there's a social stigma attached to receiving welfare in rural poor populations. These kinds of social inhibitions are common phenomena in Indian society. Not only the social stigma but there is a huge gulf between cities and villages in India in terms of infrastructure. Health care infrastructure was poor and not accessible to our poor citizens. 

Later, the Indian government launched many programs, including awareness programs and cash incentives to hospital delivery and it has been reduced to about 20% in 2016-17.

Image: John Svigos, theconversation.com.

Is this only in India?

No, this is a global issue, but mostly seen in undeveloped south Asian countries. A 2017 report says, South Asian countries contribute about 20% of maternal death and about 40 % of global neonatal death. But there may be more than that counted.

According to a recent survey, poor women, uneducated and rural women generally prefer their homes for delivery. The government has to focus on these areas. There should be a targeted approach to hit the specific population to make it into zero non-medical assisted birth. Policymakers can think of making a law that states medical assisted birth is a fundamental right of citizens. Moreover, considering roads, bridges, airports and military establishments as development is an injustice to the poor citizens.

Sileesh Mullasseri

 

Human beings born undeveloped?

Have you ever thought about a human baby, he can’t do anything while other animal babies are born with the most similar efficiency as their adults have or they may take only a few weeks to become efficient? 

Now, you may think about the kitten, a puppy they run a few days after they are born. Most other animals are like this, they run, forage does everything within a few days after their birth. Human babies may take nearly18 months to stand on their legs, even if it is useless to feed on their own. And several years are required to match their abilities with an adult human being. 

Why does this happen, we are born undeveloped? 

Yes, this is a fact. Human development takes more time than other animals. It is more complex than any other living being on the earth. So, many years of gestation are required to produce an efficient human baby, but that may lead to population decrease and species extinction. Can we think of five or 10 years of pregnancy? Usually, that may lead to species extinction. To overcome this evolutionary problem human babies are born undeveloped (an early exit from the womb), further, development takes place after birth.

Why does a human fetus require more time to develop?

This is a more complicated question… If we consider lions, tigers, horses, elephants. These animals developed into their present stage, taking several millions of years of evolution. Over the past several million years, their fetal development has also become faster to cope up with their environment.

But human beings are developed into the present stage within 2.5 million years, this is a very short time considering the development. Moreover, human beings developed as super animals within a short evolutionary period. So, embryonic development is not as fast as human evolution. However, this is becoming faster and most of the human body organs are still under development.

 

What made this early exit from the womb?

According to Noah Harari, a historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. A human being is born undeveloped and this undeveloped birth leads to long years of parental care and support to develop. A human baby needs several years of training, support and education to cope up with their adults. This made a highly developed social system and social abilities. Sapiens developed a high level of social skills due to their unique social problems. Pregnancy, birth and child care are more complex in human beings so social development is necessary for the sustainability of the species. However, human beings faced several inabilities to fight with their fellow animals in their early development and many humans, an ancient human species, are extinct due to their inability. Human beings were insignificant animals before the rise of Homo sapiens.

 

Sileesh Mullasseri 

We are “Human” or “Sapiens”

In 1758, Carolus Linnaeus applied the scientific name Homo sapiens (that means “wise man” in Latin), one of the several species in the genus Homo. The term “Human” refers to organisms under the genus homo.

So, we are not the only “Human”. But there is no claim from any other animals because no other “Humans” are alive now. We are the only species with entirely different uncivilized cousins. Chimpanzees, apes and orangutans are the closest living relatives of Homo sapiens.

For the last 10000 years, we have been the only species under the homo genus.

About 2.5 million years ago, humans (genus Homo) first evolved from an earlier genus of apes, Australopithecus (meaning Southern Ape). You may be remembering Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old mother of Man.

In 1975, anthropologist Donald Johanson discovered Lucy from the desert of Hadar, Ethiopia. They gave the species name Australopithecus afarensis, and by examining the skeleton she did not come under the Homo genus, she was a member of an earlier genus of homo. So we can’t say she was a “Human”.

However, many human beings who are known to have existed 10000 years ago, are Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Homo Neanderthalensis, Homo Denisova, Homo Heidelbergensis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo Tsaichangensis, Homo georgicus, Homo naledi, Homo floresiensis (Homo floresiensis, was believed to be extinct just before10000 years).

Currently, available archaeological and genetic data is supportive of a recent single origin of modern humans in East Africa. However, scenarios are claiming that the interbreeding of Cro-Magnon and Neanderthals led to the Homo sapiens.

According to Yuval Noah Harari, humans refer to all extant members of the genus Homo. I will often use the term “Sapiens” to denote the members of the species Homo sapiens, he says.

Sileesh Mullasseri