Welcome toThinkism
Signed on and was recently confirmed for a panel at Web Wise 08 to be put on by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and Florida International University at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami on March 5 – 7.

The Wolfsonian send a large packet about itself explaining among other things their concept of Thinkism: What man makes, makes man. This has inspired quite a bit of discussion on Thinkism here in the ibiblio brain-center. Does it mean I don’t have to clean up my office, for example?

Willy Volk explains Thinkism in Gadling’s Weekend in Miami this way:

The idea behind Thinkism is contained in Wolfson‘s phrase, “What man makes, makes man.” In other words, by examining the products, propaganda, and artwork that people have created over the years — and thinking about them — we can begin to understand objects as human ideas, concerns, and aspirations and start to understand why the world looks the way it does.

It’s more than just looking at a beautiful painting; it’s about considering an object, thinking about where and why it was made, and what role it plays in society. In this way, we make connections among everything in the world, and come to realize that everything is inter-connected. Everything. From old book covers to old stoves…