Being useless only appears backward within a paradoxical social world

Evidence

This formulation—the usefulness of uselessness—is typical of Zhuang Zhou, who often spoke in apparent contradictions and non sequiturs. But like his other statements, it’s not a paradox for the sake of being a paradox: rather, it’s merely an observation of a social world that is itself a paradox, defined by hypocrisy, ignorance, and illogic. In a society like that, a man attempting a humble and ethical life would certainly appear “backward”: for him, good would be bad, up would be down, productivity would be destruction, and indeed, uselessness would be useful. — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 24

Categorization

• DEFINE: Precisely defines ‘the usefulness of uselessness’ — that it diagnoses a paradox in the social world, not a paradox for its own sake. Central to defending Odell against the withdrawal misreading.
• XREF: connects to: Male uselessness contains the germ of individual independence — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 92