In design theory or design thinking, we do not often talk about the evil of design. However, we all know that design, with or without intent, can lead to outcomes that are undesirable or even destructive to the world around us. In our book “The Design Way – intentional change in an unpredictable world” we dedicate one chapter to the notion of the evil of design. Below are a couple excerpts.
“Good design’s most interesting paradox is that it is both magnificent
and evil. This is not the same pairing of apparent opposites as the more
common duality of good and evil. We are not talking about Evil, with a
capital E, designating malevolent forces dedicated to the destruction of
everything that is good in the world, or counter to the positive presence
of God as in many religious traditions. It is true that design has been considered
evil in this way. Some designs have been attributed to the work of
the devil or the influence of evil spirits. For instance, a European bishop
banned the use of rifled barrels on guns, because the resulting superior
accuracy over the old, smooth-bore muskets could only be due to the
intervention of the devil.” (Page 184)
“Our first category is natural evil, which is always an integral part of the
process of change, including the types of changes wrought by design. This
is a form of evil that is an unavoidable part of all life. In any creative act,
something new is brought into the world at the expense of the old—which
is then destroyed. There may be good and necessary reasons for the change
brought on by design, but that does not deny the real and painful experience
of grief and emptiness, brought by the loss of that which has been replaced.
By definition, any design is an act going beyond established boundaries—
in other words, “thinking outside the box.” This is also one of the oldest
definitions of evil. In most cases, everyday designing isn’t considered
boundary crossing or breaking because those boundaries that such
designs do cross or break are too weak to be thought of as strong norms
in the same sense as a taboo, for example. Moreover, these boundaries
usually are not even visible as boundaries for behavior.
Necessity—natural evil
• Going beyond boundaries
• Natural order of life—survival at any cost
• Lost opportunities
• Lost alternatives
• Point of view
• Natural force
Chance—accidental evil
• Power without understanding
• Cause without connection
• Misfortune and accidents
• Breakdown of natural order
Intension—willful evil
• Destroying life and life-giving essence
• Power without charity
• Agency without community
• Destroy other’s selfhood
• Using others as a means only
• Separation from unity
Figure 11.2
Categories of evil in design
Those designs and designers that are seen as causing changes affecting
the normal routine of life, however, often are treated with a certain amount
of irritation, if not outright hostility. This is because they have crossed a
boundary maintaining the defined limits of normal or typical everyday
activity. This form of design evil can be perilous to the designer, because
even if the change is for the benefit of those affected, the designer is still
cast as an enemy of people’s peace of mind and their routine existence.
New designs always bring shadows with them. There are always unintended
consequences associated with new designs, many of which can be
quite negative. This is related to another, more obvious natural evil—the
loss of opportunities. When a design is brought into the world and made
real, its very presence excludes other opportunities. The substantial investment
of money, energy, material, and time in a new design directly prohibits
other attempts to make alternative designs and realities because of
lack of resources. This also holds true for more abstract investments, such
as pride and status. This is because identity and self-image become invested
in a commitment to the new reality emerging as a consequence of the new
design’s meaningful presence. This form of evil is closely related to the
“survival-at-any-cost” strategy of evolution. Even though it appears this
strategy is the essence of nature, in our human vocabulary it carries the
suspicion of being an evil that seriously needs to be redeemed.
New designs also bring with them specific points of view that define
them as evil because of our human frame of reference. The material, corporeal
world forms the substance of design, yet this realm is considered
evil and base in many spiritual traditions. Humans are encouraged to avoid
focusing on this aspect of life, yet it is the very material from which a
designer assembles his or her design palette.
Associated with this perspective of evil is the old and enduring notion
that evil is a natural and eminent force in the affairs of people: one must
continually balance and compensate for the effect of this unrelenting evil
energy that’s always at work in the natural order of things.
Our second category is accidental evil. This type of design evil can be
thought of as avoidable. Some examples are: power without understanding,
agency without interrelationship (i.e., acting without personal connection
to consequences), and the misfortune of being in the wrong place
at the wrong time as a matter of mischance, bad luck, or tragedy. This form
of evil happens out of ignorance, carelessness, or inattention and is not
the outcome of an intention to do harm. For example, the design of toys
that are actually dangerous for children is the consequence of inattention
to those being served. Accidental evil can be modified, or mitigated, by
becoming more fully informed and aware when engaging in design.
Good design judgments are dependent on having the right design
knowledge, but that’s not all. Design knowledge cannot be separated from
the “knower.” Therefore, in design, character counts. This is similar to the
way that good character counts in making wise decisions, in the absence
of a predetermined outcome. Good design is dependent on good designers
as much as on the best information or know-how.
Finally, there is the category of willful evil. In a design context, this
includes power without charity and agency without community—in other
words, acting on people’s behalf without their contractual consent to do
so. It also includes dominance over others such as collective dominance
over the individual, individual dominance over the collective, and individual
dominance over another individual. The Kantian form of willful evil
involves the use of people as a means only rather than an end. Finally, it
includes the destruction of life, especially human life and life-giving essence.
These are just a few examples of intentional evil that can become a part
of design. The history of human affairs is filled with designs that were evil
by intention, such as those of Albert Speer, the German architect, who
among other things created organizational designs based on slave labor for
the Nazis during World War II. A more recent example is the design of
Web-based technology that intrudes on unsuspecting users of the World
Wide Web. This design also shields the identity of all those involved in
the creation and use of child pornography websites, for example. Powerful
design theories and approaches can be used in the creation of things,
concrete or abstract, that history will hold as evil in the most literal sense,
such as the design of nuclear weapons, which were considered defensible
in their time.
Becoming good at design, or helping others to become good at design,
does not assure that good design will be the outcome. The theories and
practices of design are still subject to human willfulness. As human beings
we are not bound to proscriptions of character that guarantee our good
intentions as well as magnificent designs. That challenge is well beyond
the scope of this book, but it is an essential consideration for designers
and design stakeholders.” (Page 186-188)
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