Björn Franke

Design as Inquiry: Prospects for a Material Philosophy
PhD Dissertation
2016

For many, design is the production of useful artifacts. Designing, however, can also provide a basis for exploration, speculation, or critique. This research project develops this conception further by providing a theoretical framework for conceiving, designing, and creating objects as a mode of media for philosophical inquiry. Design is thus regarded as a material philosophy that explores and reflects philosophical issues by situating them in the concrete and particular reality of human life rather than in a generalized and abstract realm.

Design objects are equipment and media that can be understood in terms of their contextual references and consequences, as well as how they mediate human action, thinking, and existence, and thus in terms of the worlds that they open up. As media for reflection, they allow one to gain an experiential understanding of these contexts and worlds. Design, therefore, relates to philosophy in terms of ethics and concepts, that is, in terms of exploring possibilities of existence and new forms of thinking.

Since design objects can create new experiences and interactions, they can lead to the discovery of new values and concepts. These objects can be used to reflect on philosophical issues and to gain a new perspective on the world. They can make abstract ideas experienceable as they materialize issues in concrete situations and thereby allow one to judge them in a real-world context, including possible consequences.

Design as Inquiry: Prospects for a Material Philosophy