Abstract

This article analyzes the sources of Vilém Flusser’s philosophy of design, which are found, primarily, in three books and one architecture magazine: Vom Stand der Dinge — eine kleine Philosophie des Design[On the State of Things — a small philosophy of design], edited by Fabian Wurm ; The Shape of Things — a philosophy of design, edited by Martin Pawley ; O Mundo Codificado. Por uma filosofia do design e da comunicação, [The Codified World — towards a philosophy of design and of communication], edited by Rafael Cardoso ; and the special edition on Vilém Flusser of Arch+, a Journal for Architecture and City Planning, titled Virtuelle Räume — Simultane Welten [Virtual Spaces — Simultaneous Worlds]. Flusser’s contributions draw on conceptual constructs from different periods between 1970 and 1991, as well as different disciplines and contexts, such as culture theory, anthropology, media revolutions, telematics, also known as, digital culture, and design itself. However, his design concepts are primarily based on philosophy and influenced by Heidegger and Plato, whose ideas he applies throughout his work.