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Philosophy Lab
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A lab that approaches design from the standpoint of philosophy.
AboutAbout the lab
Examining the roots of design through philosophy
Prof. Koga studies epistemology, ontology, ethics, and aesthetics in design.
The professor also approaches, from a philosophical standpoint, the problem of reason taking on a violent character, as well as questions of love and sex.
The professor serves as director of the Center for Fundamental Design Studies, which examines from the ground up what design is.
Key terms
- Ontological Design
- A view of design that focuses on the cycle in which people and tools shape each other, and considers design from a standpoint that does not separate subject and object
- Fundamental Design Studies
- The accumulated thinking that establishes design as an academic discipline. It is based on humanities fields such as design history, aesthetics, and ethics
ResearchResearch themes
The lab examines how design comes into being from the perspectives of epistemology, ontology, ethics, and aesthetics. It also takes up, from a philosophical standpoint, the problem of reason taking on a violent character and the problems of love and sex.
Ontology and Ethics of Design
The lab discusses ontological design, which understands design within a cycle in which people and tools shape each other. It considers how to redirect modern design, which has leaned toward the efficient development of tools, toward questions of being and the future.
*Illustrative imageThe Problem of Reason Turning into Violence
The lab examines, from a philosophical standpoint, events in which reason takes on a violent character. In past research on the theme of "Enlightenment and Violence," it took up the Battle of Okinawa, the atomic bombings, and the death penalty.
*Illustrative imagePhilosophy of Love and Sex
This is philosophical research on love and sex. In the past, the lab examined problems of family and sex under capitalism, using psychoanalysis and Marx's ideas as clues.
Ethics of the Kyushu University Vivisection Incident
Since October 2025, the lab has been conducting research that investigates the Kyushu University vivisection incident from the perspective of ethics. The keywords are deontology, the Hippocratic Oath, and akrasia.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorToru Koga
VoicesStudent voices
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Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Philosophy Lab
Philosophy (Toru Koga) LabSchool of Design, Department of DesignPhilosophy, ethics, aesthetics, and design theory
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Psychology (Hiroyuki Ito) LabSchool of Design, Department of DesignPsychologyThe information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Design Museum, Kensington objects” Ben Sutherland / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- The Problem of Reason Turning into Violence: “Southport war memorial - the monument - geograph.org.uk - 5724356” Stephen Craven / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Philosophy of Love and Sex: “Antonio Sicurezza still life rose petals on water” Antonio Sicurezza / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Philosophy (Toru Koga) Lab): “Greek philosopher busts” Matt Neale from UK / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Psychology Lab): “Motion illusion in star arrangement” Fiestoforo / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Psychology Lab): “Motion - Train New York City 2013” Stuart McAlpine / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Psychology (Hiroyuki Ito) Lab): “Variation on Z N spin model” Yourimarina / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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