Non-discursive philosophy by imagining new practices through design

Abstract

In this commentary on Rietveld’s inaugural lecture, we exemplify with one of our design cases for project Expedition RWS 2050, how Rietveld’s and our method are complementary. Within this project, RWS invited us to contribute our design skills and make relevant future scenarios experienceable. To scaffold imaginative discussions about everyday life in 2050 with a cross-section of the Dutch population, we wrote seven short speculative stories and designed a set of physical discussion tools. When looking at this design case and the cases Rietveld describes in his inaugural lecture, one can see that we both are guided by and contributing to the development of ecological and enactive philosophy, which rejects the dichotomy between sensorimotor and higher cognition. In his approach, Rietveld pushes the boundaries of the affordances of the material during the making process, whereas we predominantly investigate the affordances of the things and practices which we have designed. Despite these differences, we are both pursuing engagement with philosophical practice through non-discursive means while imagining new sociomaterial practices.

Reflections on the genre of philosophical art installations

“…Hummels and colleagues are right to conclude then that "Imagination is a socio-material and therefore tangible practice, which can be scaffolded and designed" (p. 3). The way that the sociomaterial environment is set up, influences the processes of imagination that occur (Hummels et al 2021). Hummel and colleagues use short speculative stories on everyday life in 2050, as well as physical tools that make up a "playing field" placed on a table, to materially scaffold the imagination of the participants around the table.…”

“…They illustrate how embodiment can determine the form of artistic-philosophical work by means of two art-science projects they have developed at the University of Cincinnati. There is an interesting convergence between their artistic Strange Tools Lab projects, and Hummels and colleague's (Hummels et al, 2021) proposal to practice philosophy through design. Both share the ambition of moving philosophy beyond text-based means of thinking and arguing.…”

“…In this section, we return to the theme articulated most clearly in Annemarie Mol’s commentary that RAAAF’s artworks can act as material propositions that can be used to practice philosophy by showing materially, by means of built artworks rather than through text-based, written philosophical arguments, that the taken-for-granted could be otherwise. Hummels, Van der Zwan, Smith & Bruineberg (2021) compares their work as designers with RAAAF’s method of working. They are interested in the possibility of philosophical thinking that is practiced non-discursively through the process of design.…”