Architecture for the Mind
I grew up surrounded by architects and designers. My earliest role models were people who devoted themselves to thinking through every detail of the spaces in which we live, people whose passion was to make these spaces more coherent, more rational and more beautiful.
I approach philosophical practice in the same spirit. For although philosophy works in the space of reason — in thought, and so in the feelings and actions that thoughts encourage and justify — rather than in physical space, philosophy does for thoughts what architecture does for space. Through critical investigation of our assumptions, reasons, and ideas, we create coherence, order and beauty in the space of reason.
But the analogy between philosophy and architecture also falls short in an important respect. And this is the difference which attracted me to the practice of philosophy rather than architecture: If someone else designs your home for you, this is not itself a reason to think you won't enjoy the benefits of its good design; on the other hand, if you want to enjoy the true benefits of a well-designed mind, there is no way around the fact that you must do your thinking for yourself.
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