Ideation as knowledge

Ideation can be seen as a creative process embodied in cognition and knowledge of both practical and theoretical nature. Aristotle distinguished between different types of knowledge required to solve problems in three realms. Techne was craft knowledge: learning to use tools and methods to create something. Episteme was scientific knowledge: uncovering the laws of nature and other inviolable facts. Phronesis was akin to ethical judgment: the perspective-taking and wisdom required to make decisions when competing values are in play — when the answer is not absolute, multiple options are possible. The reason that Aristotle made these distinctions is that they require different styles of thinking. But ideators face challenges appearing regularly in all three knowledge areas. That is, there are plenty of techne problems to find practical and effective solutions to a given problem. There are also epistemic challenges, that is, designing serves not only to develop artefacts but is also a means of acquiring genuine knowledge. And firmly in the realm of phronesis, or practical wisdom, the kind of knowledge that is flexible enoguh to adjust initial thoughts to emergent circumstances, and adaptable enough to learn from successes as well as mistakes. Wisdom, a capacity acquired through experience, helps designers to ask penetrating questions, provide insight into the implications of actions, and to advise appropriate courses of action. Wisdom, then, in the realm of problem solving, involves the ability to understand how complex and messy situations hang together, and appropriate actions might be taken.  Phronesis, then, in the context of design, as argued by Halverson and Gomez (2001)* is the ability to walk the talk. Or rather, for ideators, to walk the idea. *https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241616375_Phronesis_and_Design_How_Practical_Wisdom_is_Disclosed_through_Collaborative_Design