Quote of the Day

[timelets]

Given the fact that the institutionalization of private time is a fairly modern phenomenon, it is not surprising that, in professions which adhere to the traditional definition of the relations between person and occupational role, private time is essentially defined as a residual category. In other words, from a logical standpoint, pri­ vate time is traditionally defined in a negative fashion, that is, as time during which one is inaccessible, not involved or committed.

...it is particularly in careers such as medicine or the military that one's time with one's family, for example, is defined in a residual manner.

--- Evitar Zerubavel. Hidden Rhythms, 1985.

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It's interesting to see ( in the context of the institutionalization of privacy) how the Fourth Amendment ( the prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures) evolved into the modern right to privacy.