Ethics: Seminar Thoughts

"Most things are not designed for the needs of people but for the needs of manufacturers to sell to people" Papanek
Hannover Principals

Ethics:
Moral philosophy
Is always a moderation - Aristotle
Moderation between extreme good and bad. e.g courage is ethical, moderation betwween cowardice and recklessness
Mixture of moderated selfishness and moderated charity
Ethical design is neither charitable or selfish.

Fashioon must move forward and innovate. Innovation is expensive, designers must make money. Must moderate income so they reach potential of their design but no more.

Post modern ethics:
Derrida.
More to do with resistance of the powerfuls and other to ideas of the norm. Ethical position is one that stands against the norm.

Animal testing is legal.
Our objection is on ethical grounds, if it were illegal it would be a legal issue.
Law removes ethics.
Fur is another example.

Kant:
A good deed is a good deed wherever it happens. Things we do can never be wholly good or wholly bad.
As long as we do good things goodness will follow.
Aesthetics - every good deed is an imperfect copy of the perfect good.

Marx:
Ethics were manipulated by the super structure in order to divert attention away from the class struggle.
Laws preoccupy everyones attention away from central problems e.g cannabis classification draws away from traffiking

Point?
Ethics are continually changing.
Fashion has attempted to look at it from the side of production and consumption.
Without laws can we better understand ethics?

I personally think that in relation to fashion ethics are quite important in the production of garments but not really in the design stage.
Its sometimes better not to please everyone as it can help you get noticed, it might be better to shock with a collection based on a slightly risque subject than not to get any attention for your collection atall.