# Philosophy of Design **Opening (not a real abstract):** The Concept of Function As we have seen, the Modernist way of thinking addresses the epistemological problem for Design by putting function, in the sense of satisfying practical ends, at its very core: as the slogan goes, form is to follow from function. Modernists have not often elaborated on what exactly they mean by “function,” but this might not be thought problematic. At first glance, the notion of function seems intuitive and familiar, and so a reasonable foundation for thinking about Design. It hardly seems like any great insight is needed to know what the function of a chair is, for example. And yet, given the weight placed upon the concept by Modernists, there has been controversy about the very concept of function. Some have even been so appalled by Modernism's uses (or abuses) of the concept, that they have **Authors:** [[Parsons Chapter 5]]