The Science of Multiplicities: Post-Structuralism and Ecological Complexities in Design
This research investigates the potential contribution of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze to design research. Through a comprehensive review of the literature an understanding of the themes of immanence and anti-essentialism in naturalism and environmental ethics was generated. Using interpretations of Deleuze’s philosophy with the sciences of complexity, I investigate the themes identified through the extension of the notion of self-organising material systems to the socio-technical realm of design research. Through the analysis of architecture and design discourses in the 1990’s an immanent field of design research is presented. The implications are drawn out through the investigation of a general ethico-aesthetic theory of design research through the comparison of problematic and axiomatic epistemology. The research concludes by presenting a better understanding of the relationship of issues of the environment and design as well as providing a conceptual framework that can enable productive dialogue between architectural and design discourses.