The good life
Came across this TED talk by Sebastian Deterding, talking about the questions of ethics and morality in design. While there has been a lot of discussion about the ethics of persuasive design and technology (particularly relevant to the recent gamification trends), centered around the intentions of the designer and the long term effect of the design, his thesis is that all design has a persuasive element, and therefore a moral element, in what it says about one’s vision for leading a ‘good life’ — be it for the users of the design,or indeed of the designer herself. This goes back to Aristotle’s description of ethics as the questions that enable you to lead a life that fulfils your potential as a human being. Fascinating stuff, do watch.