Why are people fascinated by antiques?

Do antiques have inherent values?

The answer is no. Their values come from us. We attribute value to them. We'are attracted by antiques for a variety of reasons:

  • Tradability. We can exchange them for money or for other  goods or other antiques
  • Subconscious fear of death. The love for  antiques is also a subconscious acknowledgement that we are all on this Earth temporarily. Antiques remind us of their contemporaries who died. Through antiques, we ask ourselves: "When will I be next?"
  • Respect for the dead. Antiques give us an opportunity to respect the dead. Every piece of antique was owned by someone. In addition to fear, antiques allow us to revere death.
  • Curiosity and confusion. We'd like to think that we're worth more than objects, while through antiques, we realize that objects may in fact outlive us. 

No comments:

Post a Comment