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It was long before the invention of the concept of built-in obsolescence (1960s), long before the invention of the concept of planned obsolescence (1930s), at the very heart of the industrial revolution, that people began to think about the obsolescence of commodities. The ontology implied by industry is one that lends a finite and ephemeral character to commodities, as it does to human beings. To put forward the idea that commodities are as obsolete as man is to make possible the idea that man is as obsolete as commodities. The concept of obsolescence invites us to rethink both the commodity and man.