Tiiu,
To follow up on your message:
In my admittedly limited domain of engineering design, I've found that
inductive and abductive inference can provide modeling tools for the
move from known to unknown. Granted they're just models (i.e.
descriptive and possibly explanatory, but not necessarily right). Also,
the distinction of knowledge from belief helps. We can believe
something (based on induction or abduction) and then eventually come to
'know' it through some sort of evaluation as Tiiu writes.
I'm not qualified to suggest that this applies to non-engineering
design, except that I'd like to think that if there are underlying
universal principles in design in general, then there may be useful
models of those principles that we can use to our benefit.
2 more cents!
Cheers.
Fil
Tiiu Poldma wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi Fil, Jan and Terry,
> There is an interesting systematic means by which design occurs that
> includes moving from what I would term the "known" ( planned
> elements, intent, knowledge, systems applications) into the
> "unknown" ( intuitive, artistic creativity, the <to-be-designed>
> aspects that we cannot "know") and back again...this is at once
> "systematic" but also requires a certain amount of suspension( of
> rational mind) during the process. I would include here that design
> , to provide the "making a plan" a solution), must also be
> evaluated( or judged) in its capacity to provide the "right" means
> to an end ( the outcome of the design problem or issue at hand),
> which we can try to predict but we cannot always know - witness the
> recent landing of the shuttle Discovery.
>
> I am working on this aspect of design in my own work, and in more
> laymens' terms, if we consider design as a process rather than one
> or the other approach, meaning that the design process is iterative
> and contains both "known" and "unknown" aspects systematically
> studied, then it contains both intuition and intent.
>
> my two cents worth....
> ( not a scientist!!).
>
> Regards,
> Tiiu Poldma
--
Prof. Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Ryerson University Tel: 416/979-5000 x7749
350 Victoria St. Fax: 416/979-5265
Toronto, ON email: [log in to unmask]
M5B 2K3 Canada http://deed.ryerson.ca/~fil/
|