Thinking about what attack surface the virus exploited, strikes me it is the individualism-collectivism false dichotomy that runs deeply through architecture of the world. Despite stereotypes to the contrary, it runs as deep in Asia as in the West. Just cashed out differently.
Conversation
The only solid attempt to transcend this I know of is Hannah Arendt’s human condition, where she defines freedom to be something that can only exist within a plurality of humans forming a public (carefully avoiding the term “collective”)
1
12
There is an accommodation of the dichotomy that falls short of a transcending: specialization of labor. It alleviates the tensions of the dichotomy by imposing a regularized grammar on the expression of individual difference within an economic coordination scheme.
Replying to
These might seem rather abstract in relation to virus transmission via last yard, but sociality induces spatiality. We have public squares for congregation in Greek-lineage democracies for a reason. Libertarians like islands and shops for a reason.
1
4
Sociospatialities have exploit attack surfaces. They also have political affordances. There’s an architecture thesis here.
For eg, theocracies are clearly the most vulnerable. They like densely packed sociospatialities with ritual exchange of bodily fluids as a governance mode.
1
4
A democracy that insists on in-person voting
A republic that insists on packing representatives into a ceremonial building to deliberate
A monarchy or autocracy that insists on its parades and pageants
A mercantile culture that I distson dense commerce-focused cities
1
1
5
Architects and urbanists really need to get on this and analyze this question of socio-spatial embodiment of individualism-collectivism, and it’s relation to “six feet” virus vulnerability
2
6
Replying to
The idea of the democratic republic which follows the rule of law, while getting the citizens to vote for the laws, is an attempt to accommodate the dichotomy?

