[Sigia-l] [spam] Retraction re: "IA" value posting I made earlier

[Derek R]

Design is about intention. It presupposes it. 

--> http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=design


The question is, then, whether you believe an information architecture
should have 'intentions,' or an 'intended use,' or a presupposition to
'use.'


Here, I will again remind you of Bourdieu's 'human habitus' (aka.
'systems of habit,' 'agency,' or 'what is'):

"...systems of durable, transposable dispositions, structured structures
predisposed to function as structuring structures, that is as principles
of the generation and structuring of practices and representations which
can be objectively 'regulated' and 'regular' without in any way being
the product of obedience rules, objectively adapted to their goals
without presupposing a conscious aiming at ends or an express mastery of
the operations necessary to attain them and, being all this,
collectively orchestrated without being the product of the orchestrating
action of a conductor."

(Source: http://staff.bath.ac.uk/hssjam/povertyofagency.pdf , page 5)


I would maintain that information architecture is concerned with finding
middle-ground between individual agency and structural determinacy. This
view does not presuppose anything, nor does it present any intentions.
Rather, it allows social agency, (*not subjectivity*) which functions
*practically* within a universal capacity. 

Conversely, you could make use of sublime/abstract terms like
'findability' to cover your ass... without any real recognition of
world-beyond-self, (ie. no consequences)  :-)