Abstract
Designers make ideas become tangible artifacts through the process of creation that transforms them into a tangible creation, through the use of artistic, technical and cultural skills. It is the moment when the idea is Platonic Real of Forms and brought on, as imperfect object, to the world. It is the act of creation of the visible from the invisible, which represents the artistic endeavor of the designer that, for the first time, creates forms that are combined with a meaning. Plato introduced the phrase “καλός καί ἀγαθός” (kalós kaí agathós) to describe an ideal level of “goodness” that is represented by the noun “Kalokagathia”, a crasis between the words beautiful (καλός, kalós), and good (ἀγαθός, agathós), which is translated as “beautiful and good”. The ”Agathos” (good) of Kalokagathia is much more than functionality (how comfortable a chair is for sitting, or a knife for cutting, or a pen for writing): it rather refers to an ethical excellence that ensures the good of all citizens. Superior products possess this special ethical excellence through the combination of Kalos and Agathos.
Presenters
Paolo GrazioliFaculty, Industrial Design, Savannah College of Arts and Design, Georgia, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design
KEYWORDS
Sustainability, Zeitgeist, Thymos, Ethics, Design Methods, Design Principles
