Moments of Reading
Making Meaning Through Design and Philosophy
J. Viader Guerrero (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
Dmitry Muravyov (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
O. Kudina (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
N. Cila (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This chapter explores the intersection between philosophy and design in addressing political and sociotechnical challenges, particularly the role of AI in democratic societies. Philosophical reflection in technological design is often limited to post-development audits, reducing its potential impact. We argue for a non-hierarchical, co-creative relationship between philosophy and design that expands the conceptual space for interventions. Using the "Moments of Reading" workshop, held in 2023 within the AI DeMoS Lab at TU Delft, we explore how philosophy and design can co-generate knowledge by collectively articulating complex concepts like AI, democracy, and design. The workshop employed a card-based method to prompt participants into exploring the fluidity of these terms, highlighting how conceptual work in philosophy and material practice in design can mutually reinvigorate each other. By reframing philosophical reflection as a participatory and relational practice, we move away from rigid, pre-defined identities in stakeholder engagement. Instead, we advocate for a flexible, interpretative approach that values non-identity as a guiding principle for conceptual articulation. Ultimately, this chapter offers a model of doing philosophy through design, emphasizing collective material practices that reimagine how we approach the ethical and political dimensions of AI in democratic societies.
help_outline