A Systemic/Cybernetic Notion of Design

Nagib Callaos

The purpose of writing this article is 1) to describe the notion1 of “design” in order to show that there is almost no thought-based activity that does not, explicitly or implicitly, contains designing activities, including academic and scientific ones, professional practice, managerial action, and, even, everyday occupations; 2) to briefly describe the cybernetic relationships between research and design, and 3) to identify the relationships of design with intention and action. Since almost all what we have done, and do, in this life are caused by intentions that usually are followed by actions, then implicitly or explicitly, designing process support thinking and doing, especially in those related to academic, scientific and professional activities. Since 1) “design” is usually related to Engineering and professional activities and 2) this article is written for a special issue on “Research and Desing”, we will be more frequently explicit with regards scientific/research activities and to the notion of Science, showing irrespective to Traditional Science or new approaches to Science based on the Copenhaguen Interpretation of Quantum Theory and Second Order Cybernetics and Second Order Systems Theory.

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