Third Place

Student Choice

November 17, 2016

Simone de Beauvoir in the conclusion of her essay, the Ethics of Ambiguity, discusses her interaction with the Hegelian system. She writes that the logical system gave her peace and calm as long as she stayed in the library. But then she walked outside, “into the street again, into my life, out of the system, beneath a real sky” and she found that she had little value for this rational system. As I read about de Beauvoir’s experience as she read, I felt challenged. Too often, I strive to compartmentalize my studies into one category of my life. As I study or read, I will think lofty thoughts of the meaning of life, the value of a rational system, and the existence of God. But inevitably I leave the library, step into the street, into my life and I forget all that I just thought about. To do this, I believe, is a misunderstanding of our nature which at its core is relational. If I was made to relate to others, then my mental process should be relevant to my interactions with the world around me. If intellect only exists in a library or classroom, then what is the value of it? However, societal structure has a role to play in the development of this relational intellect. In the last few decades, American culture has ceased to emphasize the “third place” – a place that is not home or work where people come simply to be around others. Traditionally, these are coffeehouses, pubs, clubhouses, etc. with the primary goal of being with others. As cities spread into suburbs, the third place is harder to find and much less frequent. However, I think, the third place could create a physical location for the intersection of abstract concepts to concrete action, using conversation to help individuals make meaning of ideas.