Reification

Last night I scrolled through Picasa and the previous few years of travel photography. Among all the pictures I found a few short videos in which the silent world of the past suddenly came alive. I could not help thinking about how we actually construct our memories, how we filter and reify. How we choose to remember scolding when there was also playfulness. Or, for that matter, romance when there was so much insecurity.

Looking at the summer that is drawing to a close, it feels like a very long time has passed since that Düsseldorf lounge afternoon. Slow lane alright. Maybe a few more excursions (including one wonderful drive in June through the English countryside) than originally planned. But all interlaced with unfulfilled hope. And now it is almost September and the X2000 commuter routine is about to start.

As is tradition, I am soon off to Manchester for the Workshops in Political Theory where I, for the first time in my academic career, will be chairing a workshop on my own. The paper line-up looks promising as always, with everything from climate change ethics to the role of voluntariness in biodiversity conservation.