Self-Knowledge by Proxy: Parsons on Philosophy of Design and the Modernist Vision

Glenn Parsons's 2016 work, The Philosophy of Design, looks deeply at design in general, and at the Modernist approach to design in particular. The book would make an excellent textbook, but one could equally treat it as a research monograph. This article provides a detailed review of the book as a contribution to design research. The author's efforts are original and commendable, although the work is not entirely immune to disagreement. The article highlights the main line of reasoning to guide future readers, and develops a number of considerations. These include a reflection on the feasibility of Modernist design thinking, some background on the nature and origins of the philosophy of design as a discipline, a defense of the notion of a stable essence of the concept of design, and a critical analysis of Parsons's definition of design.