Less is Less and More is More
Why Minimalism Gets It Wrong
Modern affluent society says that they want to embrace the bland. Minimalist living is an example of the upper class rejecting their tradition of maximalism—living a fuller life with an emptier house. It's an enticing concept: with less physical objects one should be able to focus on what really matters: relationships, experiences, mental wellbeing. Minimalism has merits; It's rise in popularity was not an accident by any means. Unfortunately, minimalism is far too often prescribed as a solution for issues that are deeper than it can solve. For the majority of the world, minimalism is an unhealthy way of life and most people would be better off embracing maximalism to their physical limits.
Minimalist thought is a distinctly modern concept. Certainly, it is only within recent history that humans have been able to afford the luxury of less. Historically, the amount of belongings an individual had was used to directly communicate their wealth. In Ancient Rome, for example, the rich would display their extensive collections inside of their houses for visitors to see, often in a cubiculum–a room specifically used for showing off. The Romans were not alone in such practices: Ancient Greeks with their symposiums, Europeans in the medieval age, wealthy capitalists during the industrial revolution all practiced the art of collecting and displaying. What then, changed in order for the script to be flipped? Modern minimalism, like many cultural practices and trends, can be traced backwards towards art. In a post-war 1960s, artists such as Donald Judd and Frank Stella were part of an emerging minimalist art movement. Focusing on simplicity: two-dimensions, hard edges, straight lines, and simple shapes, it was an artistic representation of the minimalist lifestyle that would later gain traction. Minimalist art naturally has parallels in architecture. Architects like Ludwig Miles van Der Rohe, the last director of the Bauhaus in Germany before Nazism took rise, causing him to flee to America, preached the “less is more” ideology. His work was widespread and influential, including the design of multiple high rise buildings in Chicago, Illinois, where he settled after his emigration to the U.S.
Society mimics art. The Italian Renaissance saw the return of classical and humanistic values in not only art but also culture. Similarly, the minimalist artistic movement developed into the “simple living” movement, a way to declutter your life. This so-called decluttering takes the form of removing excess items from our houses–simplifying. Simple living has the same philosophical foundation: removing distractions which are deemed unnecessary will set you free to observe and enjoy a bigger picture of life. From this point forward, the term minimalism refers to the “simple/minimalist living” movement, not the minimalist artistic movement which these critiques do not necessarily apply to.
Off the bat it is reasonable to concede that minimalism got a lot right and it's obvious why it speaks to so many people. To live in our world today is to be bombarded by distractions. Minimalism promises to eliminate these distractions, implicitly implying distractions are bad. Contrarily, distractions aren't a detriment at all. The truth is: life is messy. Chaos and disorder have always been abundant. It is from chaos and disorder that advances occur: the Italian Renaissance rose from the mess that was the Middle Ages, the metric system was birthed during the French Revolution. It is natural for humans to seek stability and peace; however, it's merely an instinct which we can and should ignore. Fortunately, humans are incredibly capable organisms and can handle distractions, often times thriving due to them.
In fact, studies have been conducted to prove that short interruptions which break up focus result in higher quality work and more productivity. This corrodes one of the core tenants of Minimalism and states distractions are ok and can even be beneficial.
The practice of minimalism could even be harmful to mental health. Making decisions is an empowering experience, minimalism's simplicity decreases the amount of decisions a person would be obligated to make. It has been scientifically shown that decision making power is tied to happiness.
Another claim of minimalism is that objects matter less than non tangible items such as relationships. Most people agree with this—myself included. However, these concepts are not mutually exclusive. We can absolutely be mentally fulfilled while also fulfilling material desires. In fact, plenty find it easier to be fulfilled mentally when one is simultaneously materially fulfilled. Neglecting material desires can be as much of a detriment to mental health as neglecting non tangible needs and desires.
What does all of this mean? Buy whatever you want? Yes. Get a new TV. Get the useless trinket. Collect things. Buy something and use it once. Don't get rid of it afterwards. Theres no need. Outside of financial and spatial limitations there is no reason to not buy something if it is attractive to you. If you follow this, there are absolutely zero negative consequences of consumption and maximalism.