Virginia Postrel in The Substance of Style lays out a great argument for why surface is substance. She presents fascinating research and history on everything from Starbucks to the iMac. Why would someone pay an extra $100 more for a black Mac laptop rather than white? Aesthetics seem to matter more now than ever. When I go to Lowe’s to by a new ceiling fan I have a dizzying amount of affordable choices. How did we get here?
If you are interested in how your degree fits into today’s broader economy this is a great book. And if nothing else, it could actually give your parents some assurance that a degree in art might make financial sense after all.
Virginia Postrel blogs here.
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