One of the themes in the book "The Design Way" that I wrote with Erik Stolterman continues to intrigue people-- 'the design of fire'. This is the idea that design is a very old, innate human competence and that it has also played a significant role in human evolution. When I first began to speak of this it was somewhat controversial, but science has lent support to the idea over the past few years with some interesting insights. An example of this is found in a recent Smithsonian Magazine article:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Why-Fire-Makes-Us-Human-208349501.html#Mind-on-Fire-cooking-evolution-1.jpg
Design takes on a very different aspect from this perspective. If you have trouble making the connection just go to http://www.smithsonianmag.com and search for:
"Why Fire Makes Us Human"
This link may also work.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Why-Fire-Makes-Us-Human-208349501.html#Mind-on-Fire-cooking-evolution-1.jpg
You may see more about "the design of fire" here:
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Way-Intentional-Change-Unpredictable/dp/0262018179
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Way-Intentional-Change-Unpredictable/dp/0262018179
Regards,
Harold Nelson
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