Stewart Brand's New Book Highlights the Civilizational Importance of Maintenance
Tech industry legend Stewart Brand has released the first volume of his new series, Maintenance: Of Everything, which argues for the profound civilizational importance of maintenance and repair. The book posits that maintaining tools, systems, and even the planet is a radical act deserving of honor. While acknowledging that maintenance has gained academic attention since the mid-2010s, the review critiques Brand’s perspective as overly individualistic. Unlike collective social movements, Brand’s approach reflects his libertarian, rugged-individualist roots seen in his earlier work, the Whole Earth Catalog. The article contrasts Brand’s view of maintenance as a solitary path to personal fulfillment with the broader societal need for shared responsibility and systemic care. It highlights how corporate practices often hinder repair efforts, reducing product lifespans for profit. Ultimately, the piece examines Brand’s legacy, connecting his current focus on fighting decay to his history in counterculture and cyberculture, while questioning whether his framework adequately addresses the collaborative nature of sustaining modern infrastructure and society.
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Stewart Brand's New Book Highlights the Civilizational Importance of Maintenance
Tech industry legend Stewart Brand has released the first volume of his new series, Maintenance: Of Everything, which argues for the profound civilizational importance of maintenance and repair. The book posits that maintaining tools, systems, and even the planet is a radical act deserving of honor. While acknowledging that maintenance has gained academic attention since the mid-2010s, the review critiques Brand’s perspective as overly individualistic. Unlike collective social movements, Brand’s approach reflects his libertarian, rugged-individualist roots seen in his earlier work, the Whole Earth Catalog. The article contrasts Brand’s view of maintenance as a solitary path to personal fulfillment with the broader societal need for shared responsibility and systemic care. It highlights how corporate practices often hinder repair efforts, reducing product lifespans for profit. Ultimately, the piece examines Brand’s legacy, connecting his current focus on fighting decay to his history in counterculture and cyberculture, while questioning whether his framework adequately addresses the collaborative nature of sustaining modern infrastructure and society.
MIT Technology Review