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Hi Don, To discover if something is of value, I find it useful to study it. When you say that researchers: > are expected to know the literature of past work from the very > recent past (say, the past 5 years, plus a few critical significant works). …I have found in my work in information design that the past five years of research has offered little that the last 500 years of practical research had not already discovered, published and successfully applied. As an example, I would cite cognitive psychology’s recent ‘discovery' of chunking. This returns us to the issues raised in my last post. The sad fact that contemporary researchers are taught to ignore the accumulated craft traditions of the past because they have no place in today’s universities. As an aside, I would suggest the the Bauhaus basic design course—which has been at the heart of most teaching in art and design for the art hundred years—has not served us well in this respect. But to reform it one needs to understand it and provide a critique of its limitations. Only then can one reevaluate it within a broader and much older tradition of practical design know-how. Simply pointing to its contemporary irrelevance is to miss the point. I find myself in awe of past achievements and in a state of nervousness about the future. As I see it, none of us (outside science fiction) get to go where no person has gone before. David -- blog: http://communication.org.au/blo <http://communication.org.au/blo>g/ web: http://communication.org.au <http://communication.org.au/> Professor David Sless BA MSc FRSA CEO • Communication Research Institute • • helping people communicate with people • Mobile: +61 (0)412 356 795 Phone: +61 (03) 9005 5903 Skype: davidsless 60 Park Street • Fitzroy North • Melbourne • Australia • 3068 > On 10 Jan 2018, at 7:56 am, João DeSouzaLeite <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Dear Don, > > I will support you when you say design history is irrelevant facing the > complex problems we have today. > But, I will consider some issues. > > First, the very notion of design is not appropriated in the same way > throughout the whole world. > Differences concerning the specific social and cultural history of > different countries, mostly on the South hemisphere, do not provide a > comprehensive understanding of design. So, it seems to me that knowing how > design developed through history is a very concrete way to reach a better > understanding of it, in its relations with engineering, crafts, > architecture and art, among other fields. > > Second, to read design classics, and by classics I mean a huge amount of > pieces of work since Daniel Defoe, with his “An essay upon projects”, may > not be a dilettante practice. Of course it can be, but not necessarily. In > texts by Gropius and Moholy-Nagy, for instance, one can find a reasonable > batch of ideas that can base a lot of design theoretical issues of these > days of ours. And also the critics of those authors, like Argán, as well. > All the first American industrial designers wrote wonderful books full of > thoughts and ideas, as a lot of other ones have done it too. These readings > are not precisely history, but they are important historical issues of > design history. But they are also theoretical works. And, as you know, > theory finds its place in history. > > So maybe I should agree with you in the sense that design history is > irrelevant when it is lectured or taught as story of facts disconnected to > our reality, as a kind of a glorifying past. But I cannot agree with you, > when it can deeply help a better understanding of design theoretical > construct. > > Best regards, and have a wonderful new year! > > João > > > João de Souza Leite | PhD, Professor/ Coordenador TCC 2017 | ESDI/Uerj > Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial/ Universidade do Estado do Rio de > Janeiro > > School of Design/ State University of Rio de Janeiro/ Brazil > DRS Design Research Society, member > > Rua General Artigas 361 #903 Leblon 22441-140 Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brasil > Telefones: 55 21 2294.3775 / 55 21 9.9768.8608 > > http://uerj.academia.edu/JoãodeSouzaLeite > > Curriculum Lattes: > http://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/visualizacv.do?id=K4781268E4 > <http://uerj.academia.edu/Jo%C3%A3odeSouzaLeite> > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]> > Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design > Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design > ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design -----------------------------------------------------------------