Advancements in the Philosophy of Design

This volume presents 25 essays on the philosophy of design. With contributions originating from philosophy and design research, and from product design to architecture, it gives a rich spectrum of state of the art research and brings together studies on philosophical topics in which design plays a key role and design research to which philosophy contributes. 

Coverage zooms in on specific and more well-known design disciplines but also includes less-studied disciplines, such as graphic design, interior architecture and exhibition design. In addition, contributors take up traditional philosophical issues, such as epistemology, politics, phenomenology and philosophy of science. Some essays cover philosophical issues that emerge in design, for instance what design can do in addressing societal problems, while other essays analyze main-stream philosophical issues in which design is part of the argument, as for instance abduction and aesthetics. 

Readers will discovernew research with insightful analyses of design research, design thinking and the specificity of design. Overall, this comprehensive overview of an emerging topic in philosophy will be of great interest to researchers and students.

• Aesthetics of Design
• Design Research
• Design Studies
• Design Theory
• Epistemology of Design
• Ethics of Design
• Explanation and Design
• Phenomenology of Design
• Philosophy of Design
• Philosophy of Industrial Design
• Philosophy of Architecture
• Philosophy Aesthetics
• Use of Design in Philosophy
• Engineering and Design
• Philosophy of Engineering
• Good Industrial Design
• Philosophy of Graphic Design
• Ecological Design
• Design and Sustainability

• Department of Philosophy, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

  Pieter E. Vermaas

• PROJEKT Design Lab, University of Nîmes, Nîmes, France

  Stéphane Vial

Pieter E. Vermaas M.S. in Theoretical Physics from University of Amsterdam, and Ph.D. in Philosophy of Physics from University Utrecht. Currently Associate Professor with the Philosophy Department of Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Research interests: the concept of technical function; technical artefacts in engineering and metaphysics; design methodology; design for values. Editing for the NanoEthics and Design Science journals. Editor-in-Chief of the Springer book series Philosophy of Engineering and Technology and Design Research Foundations. 

Stéphane Vial M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Paris Diderot University, and PhD in Philosophy from Paris Descartes University. Currently Associate Professor at the University of Nîmes, France, and director of the PROJEKT lab, a research center for social innovation by design. Professional experience: interaction design, UX/UI design. Research interests:phenomenology of digital revolution, philosophy of design, social design and digital social innovation. Editor-in-chief of French-speaking design research journal Sciences du Design published at Presses Universitaires de France.

Policies and ethics