Following Gordon's comments I thought maybe the issue here is not what
these things are but how we feel about them. A little while ago I found
a paper on wicked problems by somebody from a management discipline,
writing for an audience within that discipline. The writer was clear
that wicked problems exist, they are important and we need to deal with
them but there was a strong sense that this was nasty tasting medicine
that the nurse had given us.
By contrast, a few years ago, I included a short account of the idea of
wicked problems in a talk to a large group of experienced designers and
artists*. As I took them through the story I could see that they were
all smiling and nodding and the sense I had from that group was "Yes,
that's what we do and we are very comfortable with it."
best wishes
Chris
*It was the Exchange 2000 conference in Bristol, UK. Anybody who was
there will remember Paul Van der Lem falling off the back of the stage
in his enthusiasm to make a dramatic point.
*********************************
Prof Chris Rust
Head of Art and Design Research Centre
Sheffield Hallam University
Psalter Lane, Sheffield S11 8UZ, UK
+44 114 225 2706/2682
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