BRIEF SUMMARY AND MY THOUGHTS ON: “A CAUTIOUS PROMETHEUS? A FEW STEPS TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY OF DESIGN (WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO PETER SLOTERDIJK)” BY BRUNO LATOUR

SUMMARY

During a lecture for the Networks of Design, on the September 3rd 2008, Bruno Latour presents a fascinating comparative analysis of the postmodern and modern concept of Design.  His lecture evokes an insightful new philosophical approach towards sustainable development. Following a logical succession of ideas, meant to question the perfectly ordered and determinist vision of modern science, the author introduces the notion of “complexity”. By bringing into light the thought of confusion and uncertainty, he raises a timeless question: “Are we able to be the God of intelligent design?”

By considering the significance of this question and by stating that the founding principles of science led to the building of unsustainable structures, the author acknowledges the difficulty of seeing Progress under an optimistic light. Nevertheless, by saying that we have never been modern, Bruno Latour hopes for a new kind of revolution; a cautious revolution charged with the extraordinary task of fixing and rethinking everything that modernity has ever built. In conclusion, the author beliefs that this revolution will only begin if the classical scientific method of analyzing is effectively complemented by new technologically advanced tools, capable of explaining complexity without reducing and isolating cognitive difficulties from one another.

MY THOUGHTS

So what is this magical tool all about and how is this technology going to bring back certainty in progress when the future is completely uncertain an obscure? As Latour points out, it is not a matter of fact; it is a matter of concern. The concern is explanation and unveiling, which in turn leads to discovery and insight.  But what is the purpose of discovery and insight? The purpose is to make choices; complicated choices which are the result of answers to questions with infinite dynamic relations. These everyday choices lead us to thought out actions; actions that trigger a set of intended interactions. In effect, by intending we are exercising restraint. It is about control. Not an Orwellian-like centralised control, but a self-exercised control. It is about a self-organisational process where we are the organiser, the organised and even the organisation. To me this tool is about the balancing act of freedom and responsibility. It is about the ultimate solution.

What is the ultimate solution and foremost what is a solution. Is it the process of of determining the answer to a problem or the answer itself? I think it is both at the same time.  It is a harmonious mixture of everything and everyone’s concern, but it is never a final state. It is a constant dynamic process driven by our principles of action based on our fundamental understanding of life. Instead of saying form follows function, I would say that form follows beliefs. So is this tool shaping beliefs? I suppose so:  a technology capable of letting us see life as an irreducible system of relations between its parts and the whole evokes a new possibility; the possibility of constructing a new ethical self able to bring into being an entirely different solution. William Wordsworth once said, “A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.” Indeed, prevailing holistic visualisations have the power to inspire. Therefore, complex information visualisation is not exclusively about rational meaning-making, it is also about inspiring feelings of connectedness and empathy that can fuel the creative process of imagining a new sustainable solution; one that is animated by complementary antagonisms ( autonomy-dependence, fear-love, belong–differentiate, local-global, etc… ) . It is not a Star Trek-like perfect solution; it is the optimal solution, the best one that we can come up with at any given time in accordance to the interdependent nature of human and non-human life. It is not rigid, it is composed of parts that move freely but do not tend toward indefinite vaporous expansion. It is not an extreme solution, it is a LIQUID SOLUTION.  It cannot be imposed nor branded and mass communicated.  It is a solution based on deep-seated self-transformation. It is a practical solution that is contingent on the use of augmented awareness tools and methods resulting in deepened and emotional understanding of life. It is a consciousness shift. It is the NEW AGE OF AQUARIUS 🙂