The Chair in Philosophy: Heidegger

From Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, trans. John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson, Section I.II "Being-in-the-World in General as the Basic State of Dasein":

"There is no such thing as the 'side-by-side-ness' of an entity called 'Dasein' with another entity called 'world.' Of course when two things are present-at-hand together alongside one another, we are accustomed to express this occasionally by something like 'The table stands "by" the door' or 'The chair "touches" the wall.' Taken strictly, 'touching is never what we are talking about in such cases, not because accurate re-examination will always eventually establish that there is a space between the chair and teh wall, but because in principle the chair can never touch the wall, even if the space between them should be equal to zero. If the chair could touch the wall, this would presuppose that the wall is the sort of thing 'for' which a chair would be encounterable."

Neil Diamond and the Deaf Chair

This post will be neither a discussion of chair history nor specific chair design, nor even a chair sighting. Instead, we shall tackle the essence of the chair. The unbearable chairness of being, if you will. (Am I always this lame? Answer: Yes.) Take it away, Neil!

I am, I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair
I am, I cried
I am, said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

- Neil Diamond, “I Am… I Said”

I first came across the lyrics of Neil Diamond’s 1971 hit song “I Am… I Said” in humour writer Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs. “‘And no one heard at all / Not even the chair’ – not even the chair?!” I was reduced to giggles at the thought of the chair deliberately refusing to listen. Being an ignorant and incredulous child, it took my mother some persuading to convince me that a) Neil Diamond is not only a real singer, but a famous one and b) this song was a hit, and a critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated one at that. I was duly chastised.

Diamond sings about being torn between New York City and LA; Rolling Stone calls “I Am… I Said” an “existential anthem.” Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker comments that Diamond’s song writing is “like the pleas of a love-struck man from another place—perhaps a small Eastern European city—who has an unusual gift for melody but who grew up not speaking English.” The infamous chair line is singled out: Frere-Jones diplomatically calls it “a typically opaque lyric.”

Oh, cruel chair! Are you, too, deaf to my pain? The design of a chair typically fits a single individual – providing relief and support to even a stricken and solitary person. To have a chair shun you is truly rejection and loneliness. Diamond appeals to no specific incarnation of chairness, but rather, to the abstract chair, the Platonic chair, the chair that is the very essence of chairness.

Ontological profundities! Diamond is asking questions that probe the anlage of being. What is the nature of the self? What is the nature of the self when one asserts one’s own being? What is the nature of the self when one asserts one’s own being if the world and the quintessence of the chair turn their backs upon you?

And one final question:

If a Neil Diamond cries “I am” and no one hears him, not even the chair, does he still make a noise?

(Answer: Hey, I guess that’s why we have a song.)

A Lou Lou for Lou-Lou

My daughter Emmylou is a constant companion on my chair expeditions. She patiently waits as I ooh and ah and sit, rearrange and sit again. I want her to appreciate good design sense, so you can imagine my delight when I was discovered a way to share it with her. While visiting Ella and Elliot, a furniture store for 'the modern baby', we-along with our friend and photographer for the day Shelley from chapped lips and all- found a chair with her name on it, literally.

The LouLou Ghost by Kartell is the baby version of the famous Louis Ghost by Philippe Starck. It is an exact replica of the larger version, in style, material (the indestructible polypropylene) and ergonomic support. 

It encourages little ones to recognize classic lines and shape. Lou certainly enjoyed her time in it:

At Ella and Elliot, you can order this chair in other colours. The price for the Ghost is very affordable at:

Kartell doesn't appeal to your child's taste? They also have the classic Panton Junior and rumour has it they may soon have the Barcelona Chair Mini. You can find Ella and Elliot at 188 Strachan Ave, right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. Take the Queen streetcar and get off at Strachan. You can't miss it!