Re: Cynical view of Decon!

Drew,
You're exactly right---new philosophies are just one aspect of our
(civilization's) ongoing quest for understanding. The problem is that
once we achieve a certain level of understanding about our world, we think
we can remake it. We often find out that we didn't understand things as well
as we thought, or should have.

The problem with theory lies not in the research or the theory itself, but
in its application. Understanding the workings of an atom didn't harm a fly
until someone figured out that all that energy would make a cool bomb.

And so on.

Much the same could be said about highly theoretical architecture. I'm
proposing (and I'm sure I'll get counter-proposals!) that buildings and
designers have responsibilities beyond the client, user and program. They
(buildings) consume way too many resources---money, labor, natural resources,
land, energy, time, our sight, you name it---to exist primarily for the
purposes of expounding on a theory.

I understand that one could say, "but all architecture expounds a theory,"
and this is true, but some architecture expounds quietly---in your ear,
some architecture gets in your face and yells, and some just beats you
senseless with a 3" Sch. 80 pipe---from behind.

mark
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