Abstract
Systems theory and practice in design will achieve nothing of lasting worth if not predicated on human values and human understanding — if the social system we all have to deal with is not allowed to either affirm or deny that which we are engaged in. The basis of that which we are engaged in happens to be the raw (social) material, if you will, of all systems theory and practice, or at least those aspects that have a direct influence on the discipline of design, hence on design communication, design research and on the teaching of design theory and practice. That basis is the social structure from within which design draws its reality and reason, and, I would presume, that same basis would also serve to authenticate systems theory and practice. The correspondences between design theory and systems theory — and more specifically action learning - points to one of the strengths of both, namely adaptability in the face of different cultural conceptions of reality.
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van der Merwe, J. (2002). Sawu Bona: Systems Theory in Design. In: Ragsdell, G., West, D., Wilby, J. (eds) Systems Theory and Practice in the Knowledge Age. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0601-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0601-0_2
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