[Air-l] Research Request: Philosophy of Design

Sun Nov 27 14:02:44 PST 2005

Hi Ken,

There have been quite a few publications on this area. Some more  
general than others. Some of the philosophy of technology  
publications might give you what you want.

For journals try Techné at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/ 
spt.html
also see:
Berg, M. 1998, 'The Politics of Technology: On Bringing Social Theory  
into Technological Design', Science Technology and Human Values, vol.  
23(4), pp. 456-490.

Kupersmith, J. and Mitchell, B. A. 1998, 'You Are Here, but Where Is  
That?: Architectural Design Metaphors in the Electronic Library', in  
Finding Common Ground: Creating the Library of the Future without  
Diminishing the Library of the Past, ed. LaGuardia, C., Neal-Schuman,  
New York, NY, pp. 58-67.

Books by Don Ihde or Carl Mitchum

Bucciarelli, L. 1994, Designing Engineers, The MIT Press, Cambridge,  
Mass.

Winograd, T. and Flores, F. 1987, Understanding Computers and  
Cognition: A New Foundation for Design, Addison-Wesley, Reading, M.A.

Misa, T. J., Brey, P. and Feenberg, A. (eds) 2003, Modernity and  
Technology, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

I am reading Veerbeek, P.-P. 2000(2005), What Things Do:  
Philosophical Reflections on Technology, Agency and Design, Crease,  
R. P. Trans., Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park,  
PA. at the moment and particularly enjoying it.

Andrew Wenn.

-- 
School of Information Systems
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Melbourne Vic 8001
----------
Have you seen my new edited book?

Hunter, M. G., Burgess, S. and Wenn, A. (eds) 2005, Small Business  
and Information Technology: Research Techniques and International  
Case Studies, Heidelberg Press, Melbourne.
----------
email: andrew.wenn at vu.edu.au
web: http://homepage.mac.com/andrewwenn/

phone: +61 3 9919 4342
fax: +61 3 9919 5024

On 28/11/2005, at 7:38 AM, Ken Friedman wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> This is a research request for articles and books on philosophy of  
> design.
>
> This includes articles and books in which philosophers discuss issues
> that can be applied to design process as well as articles and books
> in which designers and design researchers discuss or develop a
> philosophy of design.
>
> In this sense, I do not restrict the call to full-formed or
> comprehensive philosophies, but invite also propositions and
> heuristic probes.
>
> Please send suggestions and comments to me off-list at
>
> <ken.friedman at bi.no>
>
> I will compile all responses and post them to the list. The
> compilation will incorporate respoinses to an earlier research
> request posted to the list PhD-Design.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Ken Friedman
>
>
> Applicable definitions of the term, "philosophy" in "philosophy of  
> design":
>
> Merriam-Webster's (1990: 883) defines philosophy as:
>
> "2 a : pursuit of wisdom b : a search for a general understanding of
> values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational
> means c : an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing
> fundamental beliefs 3 a : a system of philosophical concepts <Kantian
> philosophy> b : a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity
> or thought <the philosophy of cooking> <philosophy of science> 4 a :
> the most general beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or
> group <the hippie philosophy>."
>
> The Oxford English Dictionary (2002: Unpaged) defines the relevant
> aspects of the word philosophy the same way:
>
> "1. a. (In the original and widest sense.) The love, study, or
> pursuit of wisdom, or of knowledge of things and their causes,
> whether theoretical or practical." To speak of a "philosophy of" is
> to discuss "The study of the general principles of some particular
> branch of knowledge, experience, or activity." OED cites this usage
> example, "Expressions like 'philosophy of science', 'philosophy of
> history', 'philosophy of government', 'philosophy of law',
> 'philosophy of religion', and so forth creep into the language,
> indicating that after scientists, historians, statesmen, jurists,
> priests, and the rest have said all they have to say, there is still
> need of a special kind of knowledge to inform us what it is all
> about."
>
> Webster's International Dictionary (1913: 1077) defines philosophy as
> "1. Literally, the love of, including the search after, wisdom; in
> actual usage, the knowledge of phenomena as explained by, and
> resolved into, causes and reasons, powers and laws. When applied to
> any particular department of knowledge, philosophy denotes the
> general laws or principles under which all the subordinate phenomena
> or facts relating to that subject are comprehended."
>
>
> References
>
> Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1990. Webster's Ninth New Collegiate
> Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts.
>
> OED. 2002. OED Online. Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. J. A. Simpson
> and E. S. C. Weiner. Second edition, 1989. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
> Oxford University Press. URL: http://dictionary.oed.com/ Date
> accessed: 2002 January 18, verified 2005 November 27.
>
> Webster's. 1913. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (G & C.
> Merriam Co., 1913, edited by Noah Porter). ARTFL (Project for
> American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language).
> Chicago: Divisions of the Humanities, University of Chicago. URL:
> http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/ 
> webster.form.html
> Date accessed: 2002 January 18, verified 2005 November 27.
>
> -- 
>
> Ken Friedman
> Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
> Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language
> Norwegian School of Management
>
> Design Research Center
> Denmark's Design School
>
> email: ken.friedman at bi.no
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