Is Design Philosophical?
At first glance, design and philosophy inhabit different worlds. Design is often aimed at physical and concrete action, while philosophy is abstract and reflective. However, there are certain fundamental philosophical questions to be asked about the essential nature of design and the design process, as explained by Per Galle, an associate professor of design theory at The Danish Design School, the director of CEPHAD, Centre for Philosophy and Design as well as the main organiser of CEPHAD’s conference in January at The Danish Design School.
By Mads Nygaard Folkmann
The borderland between philosophy and design research is the title of CEPHAD’s conference on 26-29 January 2010, which charts the cross-field between design and philosophy. One of the goals of the conference is to bring design researchers and philosophers together with a view to fostering ‘personal and institutional contacts of lasting value for research cooperation across national and discipline borders.’
Both design and philosophy may be viewed as open, searching and inquisitive disciplines, and indeed, the conference is not about finding any final answers but rather, as Per Galle puts it, about ‘letting a thousand flowers blossom.’
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| Between the actual and the possible. Design is about developing something that did not previously exist. Input from philosophy offers design research a new set of concepts for understanding and managing the space of possibility that design contains and attempts to transform into something actual. In Verner Panton’s Visiona II (1970) design is used to explore new ways of being in and experiencing a room. Photo: Panton Design |
The Actual and the Possible
The basis for linking design and philosophy is that philosophical tools can be used to ask questions about the essential nature of design.
“One might also, for example, use art history as one’s point of departure to address the design field and ask questions about its objects, but the unique aspect of philosophy in relation to design is that philosophy can be used to ask questions about the design process, where the actual development takes place,” Per Galle explains.
Design is not only about what exists but also about what might exist.
“In the perspective of the design process, design relates to the borderland between the actual and the possible – and in that sense, the design discipline might have more to do with the possible than the actual or, rather, with a combination of the two,” Per Galle explains.
“This means that we are often on shaky ground in the design profession when we want to discuss the things we create. Here, the technical and empirical sciences are often at a loss, as they are too closely related to the actual.”
The Possible in the Design Process
Philosophy offers tools that are uniquely suited for design-relevant reflections on the possible.
“We may turn to philosophy, which has a longstanding tradition for discussing possibilia, the possible, and ways of approaching the possible and the not-yet-existing,” says Per Galle.
Per Galle points out that in this regard, philosophy may enable various types of reflection. There is reflection on ontology, which is the ‘study of being’, examining how being exists. There is also epistemological reflection, which deals with the possibilities and limitations of human knowledge.
“In relation to the possible and the not-yet-existing, in an ontological sense we may ask what sort of being it has. What is the nature of its ‘being’ when it is not yet present in a visible and concrete form? And in an epistemological sense, we may ask how it is possible to know it when it is not yet existent and actual,” Per Galle explains.
Per Galle points out that designers will benefit from having more precise knowledge of the nature of the possible in their design process and of how they can operate in the span between the possible and the actual.
“For example, it is important to know something about how prediction is possible, and about how to move from the possible to the actual,” he says.
Conceptual Clarity
He also points out that philosophy can make an important contribution to a theory of science for design. It may contribute to a better understanding of design as a discipline.
On a more concrete level it may promote a higher degree of conceptual precision in the design discipline, which often draws on concepts that are not very clearly defined.
“Philosophy is good at conceptual work, and that can be very useful in the field of design,” says Per Galle.
“For example, it might be helpful to consider the concept of affordance which stems from perceptual psychology, but which is currently also used to describe how products, for example, encourage or govern certain acts. The concept can be subjected to philosophical reflection and analysis in order to achieve a higher degree of conceptual clarity.”
Design Contributions to Philosophy
However, the exchange between design and philosophy not only flows from philosophy to design; it goes both ways.
“I think that it will be interesting for philosophers to address a discipline where things are open and undetermined. In this sense, the explorative approach of philosophy is a good match for the open and inquisitive approach in design,” says Per Galle.
Carsten Friberg, a philosopher and associate professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture agrees that design has something to offer philosophy.
“Design shapes the reality we live in. It affects us, our surroundings, and our way of thinking. We are less in command of our way of thinking than we assume, because we are affected by the way in which our surroundings have been shaped,” he explains.
“This is something we need to examine, and design lets us get closer to the matter of things. This is highly consistent with the type of philosophy that is aware of the environment, and which is based on reflections on and an understanding of the impact of the environment.”
Carsten Friberg, who is co-organizing a master class for Ph.D. scholars at the CEPHAD conference points out that philosophy has a longstanding tradition for taking an interest in the environment and its effect on us.
“This is an interest and an involvement that reaches back to Antiquity, but which has led a somewhat hidden existence for the past 150 years. It is visible today, however, especially within certain branches of philosophy such as phenomenology, hermeneutics and aesthetics. And with its material focus, design has an obvious contribution to make to these discussions,” says Carsten Friberg.
Centre for Philosophy and Design, CEPHAD, is an informal international organisation created to stimulate the flow of ideas between research in philosophy and research in design. The purpose is twofold:
CEPHAD resides at The Danish Design School and is headed by Associate Professor Per Galle. The conference “The borderland between philosophy and design research”, which is held on 26-29 January 2010 at The Danish Design School is CEPHAD’s second conference with Per Galle’s involvement. The first was held in 2004 on the Danish island of Bornholm. The conference is funded by the Danish Centre for Design Research. The conference offers some 40 presentations, selected through peer review, as well as seven invited speakers. In addition, a specially invited speaker will give “The CEPHAD 2010 Maverick Lecture”. Additional information available on |
Cover photo: A pattern of reality. By shaping and staging our environment, design offers access to our perception of the modern world. With contributions from philosophy design research can uncover the underlying structures for the effects that design has on us - design research is capable of bringing out the patterns of reality and turn them into assets for future design developments.
Design: Helle Hove
Photo: Ole Akhøj
Mind Design #25, 2010
Mind Design #25
January 2010
Edited and published by the Danish Centre for Design Research
Reproduction allowed and encouraged with indication of source
