What to Save and Why audiobook cover - Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation

What to Save and Why

Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation

Erich Hatala Matthes

★ 4.5 / 5(2 ratings)
Start ListeningDownloadQR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App StoreTry free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds
Categories:
Nature & the EnvironmentSociety & CulturePhilosophy

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to What to Save and Why — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from What to Save and Why

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from What to Save and Why

Mind Map

What to Save and Why
The 'Why' (Motivations)+
The 'What' (Selection)+
The 'From What' (Change & Loss)+
The 'How' (Methods)+
The 'Who' (Ethics & Politics)+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6
According to the text, what is the primary underlying driver for our desire to conserve objects, traditions, and places?
  • A. A biological instinct to hoard resources for future survival.
  • B. A financial motivation to increase the monetary value of rare historical items.
  • C. A deeply human need to protect the things that shape and define our personal and collective identities.
  • D. A moral obligation to prevent any historical artifacts from decaying over time.
Question 2 of 6
How does the text describe the role of 'authenticity' and replicas in conservation?
  • A. Replicas are completely rejected by people because they lack the historical age value of the original.
  • B. People can prize replicas just as much as originals, provided they are unaware that the items are fakes.
  • C. Authenticity is irrelevant in modern conservation, as the physical object is always less important than the story.
  • D. Replicas should always be openly displayed as fakes to maintain the ethical standards of conservation.
Question 3 of 6
What is the true goal of conservation regarding 'change,' as presented in the book?
  • A. To avoid change entirely and freeze objects and traditions in their original state.
  • B. To ensure that change only happens organically through time rather than through human intervention.
  • C. To accept that change means forgetting the past and moving forward without emotional attachment.
  • D. To shape how change happens so we can engage with it on our own terms, rather than stopping it completely.
Question 4 of 6
What is a major risk of taking a cultural item from its native setting and placing it behind glass in a gallery, according to the concept of 'situated conservation'?
  • A. It exposes the item to environmental damage that museums are ill-equipped to handle.
  • B. It risks draining the item of the very meaning and web of relationships conservation is trying to protect.
  • C. It prevents future generations from being able to physically touch and repair the item.
  • D. It shifts the financial burden of preservation from the local community to the government.
Question 5 of 6
Why is the concept of 'stewardship' highlighted as a helpful lens for conservation?
  • A. It ensures that only highly trained professionals are allowed to handle delicate artifacts.
  • B. It transfers legal ownership of cultural heritage to government entities for better funding.
  • C. It invites responsibility for an item's survival and well-being without requiring ownership or control over it.
  • D. It allows dominant groups to dictate how marginalized communities should preserve their own traditions.
Question 6 of 6
How does the book suggest we should view the act of conserving things for future generations?
  • A. We should focus on giving them the chance to build from or push against our values, rather than guaranteeing they will care about the same things.
  • B. We must mandate strict educational programs to ensure they share our exact values and appreciation for the conserved items.
  • C. We should only conserve items that have universal appeal so that future generations are guaranteed to find them useful.
  • D. We should avoid conserving things for the future entirely, as each generation must create its own cultural heritage from scratch.

What to Save and Why — Full Chapter Overview

What to Save and Why Summary & Overview

What to Save and Why (2024) explores how we decide what artifacts, heritage, and landscapes to preserve, especially in the face of historical injustice and shifting values. It challenges conventional assumptions about value, memory, and moral responsibility, advocating for a more philosophical approach to cultural preservation. 

Who Should Listen to What to Save and Why?

  • Anyone interested in the ethics of conservation
  • Cultural policymakers
  • Philosophy students studying aesthetics and the arts

About the Author: Erich Hatala Matthes

Erich Hatala Matthes, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, specializing in the aesthetics, ethics, and politics of art, cultural heritage, and the environment. His first book, Drawing the Line, grappled with the question of engaging with the work of immoral artists. Hatala Matthes received the American Philosophical Association’s 2018 Public Philosophy Op-Ed prize. 

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App