Prof. Yoshioka Gives Lecture “The Philosophy of Design” at Tama Art University

Prof. Hiroshi Yoshioka gave a lecture on “The Philosophy of Design” at Tama Art University on January 16th, 2019.

He discussed the worldviews behind “designed” works, which tend to be thought of as experiential and technical.

To “design” is to create with intention. The question of whether or not this world was designed is a philosophical and theological question in which the concept of “design” is interpreted ontologically. In Christianity and Islam, which are monotheistic religions, the answer to this question is “yes”. God is seen as the “designer”, while nature and humans are God’s “designed works”. On the other hand, modern science’s answer is “no”. Although “yes” seems to be the opposite of “no”, they are similar in assigning significance to the design of nature.

How would most Japanese people, who are neither Christians nor scientists, respond to the question, “is the world designed?” Probably they would approach the question from a polytheistic worldview that is indifferent to ontological questions about design and answer that “it doesn’t matter”. The discussion focused on how “design” is understood in this cultural context.

Event Flyer

Prof. Yoshioka

2019/03/20