Abstract
In comparing deliberation to the analysis of a geometrical figure, Aristotle made a highly significant theoretical statement on design, which has largely gone unnoticed. Through an interpretation of the accounts given by Aristotle and the Greek geometer Pappus, seven features of the method of analysis can be identified, concerning the types of analysis, its stages, its start and end points, the types of reasoning involved, the relation of the two directions of reasoning, the strategy of reasoning and the targeted outcomes. This proto-theory is compared to the current theoretical landscape of design; also it is applied to clarify a current approach to conceptual design. Based on all this, the proto-theory as a theory of design is evaluated. It is concluded that the proto-theory fulfills several of the functions of a theory in a superior and fertile way. Thus, this proto-theory is not only of historical interest, but – still – provides a contribution to the theoretical knowledge on design.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | An Anthology of Theories and Models of Design: Philosophy, Approaches and Empirical Explorations |
| Editors | Amaresh Chakrabarti, Lucenne T. M. Blessing |
| Place of Publication | U.K. |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 285-304 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781447163381 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781447163374 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- design
- geometric analysis
- geometrical constructions
- quality function deployment