Message handed on via keith Russell for Ulla-Maaria
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> Yesterday I got a notice of this new book by Harold G. Nelson and Erik
> Stolterman, published in May 2003. I haven't read it yet so I cannot
> give a preliminary review, but on the basis of the abstract it seem to
> offer some material for the last weeks' intensive discussion about the
> possible origins of 'the grand theory of design'. Nelson and
> Stolterman seem to approach (consciously or unconsciously) the
> direction of dialectical materialism from a practical viewpoint.
> The idea that (quoting Lubomir's last mail) that "in every human
> activity we can find a design phase or element, no matter whether it
> is institutionalized or not, explicated or not, and reflected or not"
> seem to be present also in Nelson&Stolteman's thinking, although in a
> way that echoes Marx's concept of 'revolutionary practice' (except
> that in the first lines of the abstract Marx concept of 'revolutionary
> practice' is replaced by 'design'). Well, every one sentence in the
> beginning of the abstract gives such an enormous bite to chew that I
> guess have to read the book first before starting to interpret what
> they might mean and who they refer in the first place. Let's talk more
> about this later!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Ulla-Maaria
>
>
> Here is the abstract of the book:
>
> The Design Way
>
> Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World -
> Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence
>
> by Harold G. Nelson and Erik Stolterman
>
> This book explores the idea of design as the ongoing genesis of the
> real world-the seminal process of world creation. The authors make the
> case for design as both the oldest form of human intention-the one
> that defines us as being human-and design as one of the emerging
> approaches to creative human inquiry and innovative action, superbly
> suited to facilitating intentional change in an unpredictable, complex
> and dynamic world. Design is presented as an intrinsic process that
> people are continually engaged in and have used throughout time.
> Explained as a form of strategic intent, design is presented as
> disparate from problem solving. Rather, it is presented as a tradition
> of reflective inquiry and practical action; distinct from science and
> art, built on its own foundations, with its own fundamentals and
> located within its own metaphysical domains. Design is treated as a
> means of creating both the material and immaterial world. The book is
> a composition of ideas that creates an image of design, designers and
> designing as an integration of imagination, systemic reasoning and
> pragmatic action with applications in business, government, and the
> professions. The book provides a starting point for the acquisition of
> personal and organizational design competence. The authors introduce
> the challenges of design learning and education with an eye to the
> development of design character.
> ---------------------------
>
> References:
> Karl Marx (1845) Theses On Feuerbach.
>
>
> --
> Ulla-Maaria Mutanen
> M.Sc.(Econ.) IDBM
> Ph.D Student
> University of Helsinki
> Center for Activity Theory and
> Developmental Work Research
> P.O. Box 47
> FIN 00014 University of Helsinki
> Tel. int. + 358 9 191 4818
> Mobile + 358 40 5845774
> Telefax + 358 9 191 4844
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
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