Donald Schon, Herbert Simon and the Sciences of the Artificial

Design Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 60-68, 2009

Posted: 4 Nov 2008 Last revised: 19 Nov 2009

See all articles by Jude Chua

Jude Chua

Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education - Policy and Leadership Studies

Date Written: November 2, 2009

Abstract

In this paper, I examine Schon's criticism of Herbert Simon's instrumentalist theory of design and conclude that Schun's evaluation of Simon's theory of design, based on the first edition of The Sciences of the Artificial, overlooks many open-ended constructivist trajectories. By exploring later editions of The Sciences of the Artificial, the hope is to correct the misconception that Simon's substantive theory of design had very little to contribute to research studies in designerly ways of knowing.

Suggested Citation

Chua, Jude, Donald Schon, Herbert Simon and the Sciences of the Artificial (November 2, 2009). Design Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 60-68, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1294013

Jude Chua (Contact Author)

Nanyang Technological University - National Institute of Education - Policy and Leadership Studies ( email )

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