How do I know that? As always, based on the most non-consequential and accidental fact. You see, if I attempt to justify a statement like “Americans Love Europe” and provide some good solid evidence, then I would have to face an obvious dilemma: how much evidence is enough evidence? When do my examples of American love for Europe – traveling to Europe while in college, admiring Europe’s history and architecture, being proud of their European heritage (wait, this one only works for white Americans, see, I’m in trouble already) – become a sort of evidence that supports my point? If you disagree with the proposition, it’s very likely that no amount of evidence will help change your mind. If you agree with it, no evidence is necessary to begin with and we can simply high-five on it and go on to other important things. So how do I know that Americans Heart Europe?
This morning, a very fine morning indeed, snow outside, crisp cold air, ice thin just enough to threaten to make me slip, everything is well with the world. I get to work, I read a book, I come across an example of “extended mind” in an article by a couple of very American, at least by the looks of their names and institutional affiliation, philosophers. The example is talking about two imaginary persons – Inga and Otto – and their decisions based on things they either remember or look up in a notebook. Wait, come again? Inga and Otto?! Really? They were from Sweden? Why not Jeff and Stacy, or Chad and Lindsey? In the example, they happen to be in New York and all looks very American, but why Inga and Otto, I thought, why?
The only Inga I ever knew, and I am unfortunate enough to never have known an Otto, was my first-grade desk partner, she was twice my size, large child with yellowish hair and a very German last name. We were friends, I think, but only by a very unfortunate circumstance of being late in our class assignments and therefore posited in the back of the class, a kind of mismatched pair that did fit with a general stereotypical Soviet first-grader. Inga was from out of town, therefore a German last name, and she knew all kinds of things, we talked a lot, during class, my mother was not very happy about it. Inga did not know of any Otto, at least to my recollection, Otto very likely went to a different school…
In any case, it is indeed very clear: American Heart Europe…