Design and value: The ethical nature of beautiful design

Paris, Panos ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2549-1075 2025. Design and value: The ethical nature of beautiful design. Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics 48 (1) , pp. 44-61.

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Abstract

Design theory is increasingly acknowledging the ethical nature of Design. At the same time, philosophers are becoming increasingly aware of the aesthetic potential of Design, and of its distinctive claim to beauty. Yet Design theorists and philosophers alike have failed to note the connection between the ethical nature of Design and its beauty. In this article, I argue that beautiful design is fundamentally ethical in nature. To this end, I develop what I call an axiological concep�tion of functional beauty, whereby beauty is linked to other values, I broaden the notion of func�tions relevant to design to accommodate the many possible affordances of Design objects, and I argue that beautiful design is design that manifests deep, ethical, concern: beautiful design is care�full design. I suggest that this can take a number of forms, and seek to distill some of these through detailed discussion of several examples of beautiful design

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 April 2024
Date of Acceptance:	17 April 2024
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2024 15:31
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/168031

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