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Dear Friends,

Normally, I dislike "me, too" posts that simply repost a prior note
with the statement that I agree.

When sending off my response to Glenn Johnson, though, I had not yet
received Klaus Krippendorff's two comments. He said what I was trying
to say, and he put a fine, crisp touch on it, writing first that,

"As I suggested earlier: designing is a fundamental human right. By
designing their world, humans distinguish themselves. Denying this
ability to ordinary people reduces them to mechanisms. I hope that
professional designers do not claim design abilities at the expense
of those of others. To me a professional designer is one who enables
others' ability to design."

And later adding that

"Professional designers should be better is some respect than
everyday people, but they are the experts in their own life. Don't
forget that!"

This involves a fines sense of the role that experts and
professionals play in a democracy, and especially the role they play
in a knowledge economy.

Klaus spoke for me when he wrote, "I like the distinction between
expertise, something one is good at, and expertism, the doctrine or
system of belief."

Best regards,

Ken

--

Ken Friedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Visiting Professor
Advanced Research Institute
School of Art and Design
Staffordshire University