Design Philosophy and Poetic Thinking: Peter Sloterdijk’s Metaphorical Explorations of the Interior

Abstract

This article makes the argument that Peter Sloterdijk’s philosophy provides a useful and thought-provoking basis for studies of contemporary indoor ecologies. Sloterdijk’s philosophy is distinctively attentive to the various environments in which humans exist and of the ecological situation of beings in general. The notions of interiority explored in Sloterdijk’s work, particularly the third volume of his spheres trilogy Spheres III: Foams (2004, 2016), provide important tools for conceptualizing the changing nature of indoor spaces and contemporary modes of being in the world. Sloterdijk’s approach to philosophical analysis exhibits a number of interrelated advantages that mesh well with the ambitions of human ecology, particularly in relation to indoor ecological conditions. These include his sustained conceptual exploration of technological and scientific developments, his distinctive use of rhetoric and philosophy in the characterization of human agency, and the close attention he pays to the relationship between being and design. This article unpacks the value of these perspectives through a sustained attention to Spheres III: Foams and aims to demonstrate why Sloterdijk’s work provides an invaluable philosophical tool kit to foreground and unite scholarship in diverse fields exploring the relationship between interior spaces, human perception, and society.