Nineteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Contemporary technological and environmental disruptions are destabilizing Western ways of being. The Cartesian conception of reality, which separates us from nature, must be reconsidered to challenge the dualistic oppositions - embedded in Western culture - that define the human by negation, counterposing it with what is not human (i.e., other life forms). This anthropocentric worldview fostered a sense of detachment from the more-than-human, which led to the exteriorization of socio-ecological problems. Indeed, the modern promise of linear progress, supported by techno-optimism, frame contemporary issues as external to us and, therefore, technically fixable. However, climate change and other sustainability challenges should be understood as unwitting consequences of the way we live, thus deeply connected to our internal dimensions. Culture shapes how we think and interpret reality. It is, therefore, impelling to acknowledge and deconstruct cultural categories that prevent us from telling different stories and making design enabler of futures that are radically different from the present. For this to occur, a new design mindset to reframe creative action with a planetary futures-driven perspective needs to be cultivated. The research contributes to ongoing debates about the role of design education in addressing these issues proposing a Post-anthropocentric Creative (PaC) Framework developed to support design students in challenging assumptions and imagining futures of multispecies coexistence. The PaC Framework can be metaphorically interpreted as a cartographic tool for designers to navigate the process of inner transformation, guiding them towards a post-anthropocentric creative mindset that fosters worldviews of care for the more-than-human.