Dear Francois

Its great to hear from you

I must say that I am reading Heidegger and trying to grasp my own reading of him, and so I cannot say as yet that I am convinced of Hubert Dryfus' reading of Heidegger.  I am attracted to his idea in H that there is a kind of unconcealment of being, of worlds, that is given to us, rather than violently appropriated by us through some willful endeavor, the god-looking at us of theoria. That is what I find has stuck with me, and continues to grip me.  And I believe that H was trying to bring this out, that kind of unconcealment. 

The question, however, is what is that which is unconcealed, and how is it unconcealed.  How do we look back (horao)? Something important, something that previously was not available was unconcealed.  In the film there is talk of particular subjective nuances of the tool that was unconceled through one's skillful coping. The master for Dryfus' H unconceals through his skillfulness the new aspects and meanings of the tool, and the work, and hence the design.  That in itself is a very exciting idea for Design theory I think.

But that is not what I think, when I read Heidegger.  Meaning thtat I am less interested in what H said, but what when reading H I think.  In this sense I am doing what H says when he said we should read Kant in such a way that we understand Kant better than Kant understands himself.  For me, I am especially interested that when one is open to free choices in one's practical thinking, but at the same time forced to make choices, given certain limitions, then one's grasp of the guidance of the first principles could be particularly keen.  This is a kind of unconcealment, and the confrontation with our death-in-time does something like that.  For me the interesting thing that is unconcealed is not merely the more subtle, poetic aspects of the tool, but something ethical, the basis of our care.  I must admit there is someting thomistic in my interpretation/reading.  And this may not be what H means by being towards death, but then again, we should not be too quick to think Hubert Dryfus' interpretation is correct either!

This is also very important because the first principles of natural law are not deduced/inferred. It this narrative of unconcealment, of thea is really illluminating, then we can account for the appearnce of natural law/ethics.  But it is the user of the tool--the designer--who unconceals this ethics! Hence, behold, rather than designers needing to be informed by ethicists, it is the act of design, and designing, that opens us to the ethical world.  It is the designer that helps us enter into that ethical world. This is consistent, of course, with Dilnot criticism of designers (who are performing in the neoliberal climate) lacking criticality. The designers here in question, who open the ethical world to us, are precisely those that Dilnot does not refer to.

I am thinking about these issues ongoingly.  I will report back, if the gods look upon me, again!

Jude





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From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Francois Nsenga [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 11:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Heidegger and Design

Dear Luke and Jude

Just finished watching the video on "Being in the World". WONDERFUL !!
This, once more, confirms that designing is not about "creating" anything
new. Rather, simply, it is about 'assembling' what is around and has always
been there, aiming at celebrating our being there together. And through
'revelation' from the gods, disclosed through the photographic viewfinder
of *thea+horao, theoria,*** *it is the designers' duty to bring about or
instigate such celebration: the whole purpose of our "Being in the World".
 "Alle" !

Thanking both for sharing !

Francois
Montreal

* Jude, I don't think this has anything to do with "one’s being-toward-death".
Unless you explain further your conception of "death", or "dying".





National Institute of Education (Singapore) http://www.nie.edu.sg

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