Incandescence

Imagine if every room you stepped into was cast in the same light as your classrooms, or Wal-Mart?  In December, Congress set new energy-efficiency standards that, between 2012 and 2014, will phase out the incandescent light bulb.   In a recent essay, writer Ron Rosenbaum complains that such a change will destroy our capacity to see things as they really are.  But he also uses this development as an opportunity to sing praises to Thomas Edison's invention. Both a rant and a paean,  Rosenbaum's piece is a classic example of rear-guard thinking.  As you read the essay, notice his use of emotional, logical, and ethical appeals to make a persuasive case for the beauty of incandescent light and the ugliness of fluorescent light.  At stake for Rosenbaum is nothing less than our human capacity for happiness.  While Rosenbaum may be overreacting a bit (flourescent lighting does come in a range of colors), it is fun to read sentences like these:  "Fluorescents seem specially designed to drain life and beauty from the world. Don't kid yourself if you hope Hell is lit by fire. More likely fluorescents....Don't get me wrong, this is not a plea for Ye Olde Times, for gaslight and quill pens. It's just a plea not to take for granted the way we illuminate our world....A lamp fitted with an incandescent bulb and dim translucent shades casts a lovely, painterly glow on human faces, while the light of fluorescents recalls a meat locker."