JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN Archives

PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN  2002

PHD-DESIGN 2002

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Re: more about metadesign

From:

Kari-Hans Kommonen <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Kari-Hans Kommonen <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 29 Oct 2002 19:38:55 +0200

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (85 lines)

OK - engaging - but just a brief response for now...sorry about the
political opinions, but I see the political situation as the design
context, and I would do against my idea of design if I pretended it
does not play a role.

At 11:12 -0500 29.10.2002, Lubomir S. Popov wrote:
>Professionalization is what made Western society the way it is now. If you
>don't like it, go and live in the coral reefs.
...

>At this point, professionalization has  no alternative. The problem is not
>with professionalization -- the problem is with too many poor
>professionals. Poor professionals that see the world one-sided, that
>maximize only one or two criteria and leave the rest unattended. I always
>say -- there are no sick buildings -- there are dumb engineers. It is so
>simple. However, we should not blame professionalism in principle for that
>rampant stupidity. The problem is with poor preparation of engineers. Too
>narrow thinking. Too much laymen' enthusiasm and self-confidence. And this
>makes the ignorant arrogant.
>
>May be after centuries everyone will reach professional level in all areas
>of human endeavor, but now it is not possible. Postings at this list prove it.
>
>Have a nice day and take a sober look at the current civilization.

First, thank you for labeling me as poor professional, one-sided,
stupid, ignorant and arrogant :-)

But seriously, I think that you are right that 'Professionalization
is what made Western society the way it is now'. My problem is that a
'sober look at the current civilization' makes me very sad. The good
could have been achieved with less misery as byproduct; but the
'common good for all' has not been the goal of the 'progress' - and
where it has been, and succeeded, it's success has mostly been local.
Most great development in some indirect way or another has relied on
the exploitation of some others. I enjoy the results of that, and I
feel responsible to some extent, and I will try to do something about
it through my own professional specialization.

I am not proposing that we should throw away the professionalism or
specialization. But I believe that we should not continue on the
current path of hegemony of technocrats, resource owners, corrupt
politicians and exploiters. (Many (most?) of the technocrats end up
working for the goals of the others in the belief that their work is
'neutral'.) More voices, dramatically so, must be taken into account.
And in order to be useful, they should be better empowered and
informed. That is not easy, we do not yet know how to do it, and
moreover, the possibility is politically and intellectually
threatening to many people, and therefore something to resist well
before it could be realized. We need a better mix of modes and lots
of new specializations - for example, ones that help more people to
play meaningful roles.

A development that gave more people a voice has taken place in
politics. The power used to be in very few hands, and now there is a
large part of the worlds population that believes in democratic
ideals and tries to somehow realize them.

I think that there may be change ahead, because the problems of the
hegemony and fight over limited resources are becoming greater and
have new dramatic manifestations. Increasing connectivity (electronic
and material traffic) and global media coverage makes it difficult to
hide the problems of reality from the funders and voters: the happy
consumers. Globalization creates a global market, but also
distributes problems globally. The awareness of the reality of a
global insecurity (that in my opinion results from arrogance,
selfishness, misuse of power and exploitation that breed misery and
hopelessness) is today much higher than it was two years ago, and is
increasing. Old solutions have not brought results, and every month,
new kinds of problems are emerging. This creates pressure for changes
of many sorts. Hopefully the 'civilization' can change in a civilized
way...

I am not proposing that Jumbo Jets should be designed by laymen.
Specialists must do that. But there are numerous areas where there
are no design specialists, and design has to and does take place all
the time. For example, 'laymen' design their own homes, careers,
business models, work systems, birthday party invitations, community
activities, personal computer uses, etc. Why don't you oppose the
idea of 'ordinary people designing' with reasonable real life
examples that make sense?


kari-hans

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager