Research Thursdays - Philippe d’Anjou’s New Book Scrutinizes Design Through a Philosophical Lens

Philippe d’Anjou, Professor in the School of Architecture, has just published a new book titled Ethical Design Intelligence: the Virtuous Designer which explores the deep significance of philosophy and ethics to the practice of design. It offers designers from disciplines such as architecture, urban design, planning, landscape, interior and industrial design an alternative ethical framework in which to expand the thinking about their practice. 

Arguing that design today is primarily an agency driven by the momentum of globalization, embedded in economy, materialism and utility, the book reconceptualizes the notion of virtue in design practice. Across chapters covering topics such as virtuous character, creative agency and unsustainable practices, the book scrutinizes design through a philosophical lens. 

d’Anjou dissects articulations from different philosophical thinkers from antiquity to contemporary time to reveal that ethics is fundamental to everything affected by design. Countering well-established modes of postmodern relativism in design, which has led to “defuturing” and “unsustainability,” ethical realism is presented as an alternative solution. This book is written for designers, educators, researchers, and students. 

For more information or to purchase the book, visit: 

routledge.com/Ethical-Design-Intelligence-The-Virtuous Designer/dAnjou/p/book/9780367136802 

d’Anjou has been at FAU since 2004. He teaches design, theory, philosophy and ethics and his research explores design and design ethics from an existential perspective. d’Anjou’s work appears in scholarly journals and edited collections, which recently include The Design Philosophy Reader (2018) and L’Herne Onfray (2019); it has been translated and published in Chinese, French, and Spanish. d’Anjou is also the author of Design Ethics beyond Duty and Virtue (2017).

(Printable Version)