Trying to find philosphical story about upgrading.

January 8, 2011 6:57 PM

Trying to remember philosophical story about upgrading (story uses home furnishings) - something about a smoking jacket.

I remember hearing about this story from a former professor. It was called something along the lines of "Musings on my old smoking jacket." It was a guy who had an old smoking jacket, but then someone bought him a new one. He liked it, but then it didn't match his chair, so he had to get a new chair, which didn't match the carpet, so he had to get a new carpet, etc.

It's a philosophical story about the conundrum of upgrading stuff in your life, but I can't seem to track it down via google.

Any help out there?
Thanks!

posted by MPenguin to Religion & Philosophy (3 answers total)

Ship of Teseus?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:44 PM on January 8, 2011

Best answer: The Diderot Effect

At the beginning of his career Diderot was brilliant but poor. One day a wealthy patron gave him a beautiful silk smoking jacket.

Diderot records in his diary that he went to his poor apartment that evening and put on the jacket. He looked at the cheap wooden furniture, the peeling wallpaper in his apartment. Until that moment they had been acceptable. He realized that the jacket was the finest thing in his apartment, and that he loved the jacket. He loved it because it made him feel the way he wanted to feel in the future. Systematically, as Diderot gained more money, he began replacing everything in his apartment until all his possessions matched the quality of his silk smoking jacket.

posted by AmbroseChapel at 8:39 PM on January 8, 2011 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: That's it! The Diderot Effect! Thank you so much!
posted by MPenguin at 9:53 PM on January 8, 2011