Thursday, February 28, 2008

A door by any other name

So , In a recent project we covered the design of a door. I found myself going from far left field, a specific theory of craziness, but

What is a door? I've pondered this many night as a true vigilant architect would. I accepted no text book answers--who really can give hem credibility?(The author?But who gave them authority before that and that?) Instead I go to the methods of the philosopher Socrates. I start with what I know. A door is... a panel of wood with a chunk of metal? A gateway? The divider of two spaces? WHAT?!! Of course, I find this method only tells me what a door is not! So what then? Night and day I struggled. I couldn't eat or sleep or take a shower or be clean in any sort if sense (though, none of this new to me. I am, after all, an architect major)Then I figure, WHO CARES? Seriously, as long as it works and lets me through, I'm on my way to bigger and better things such as...the importance of noncoding DNA (the subject of a VERY important paper to be).

In my defense I wrote none of that philosophical bull, my friend(biology major) took my computer being open as an opportunity to input her own opinion.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Defining the UNdeniable

Can you define the word "the"?I mean no seriously think about it for a minute, it has such a common use in the english language, and is quite simplistic.So simplistic in fact it seems as though, it can't be reduced down to anything more, but in order for it to be a word that has any meaning(or any word at all) it must have a definition.
The same is true of a thing, a thing, if it is to exist, must exist for some purpose, if it is to exist at all.The thing which I am refering to in this blog would be a wall, we pass them everyday,buildings would not exist the way we know them without them,they seem to serve a simple purpose ......................................... yet their purpose is not so simple after all.
The current first year project requires us to critically analyze and define what a wall is, other than a barrier,barricade, or source of protection.Removing these definitions now leaves us with the very simple definition of..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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a big block of nothingness