# The Depth of Design **Opening (not a real abstract):** The material culture of modern life is unique in its scale and sophistication. The most awesome and far-flung monuments of premodern life are modest, and its most sophisticated machines are crude, in comparison. In assembling our material culture, we have been much concerned with safety, efficiency, and commodiousness, and we have undertaken gigantic if often insufficient efforts to improve our material surroundings in these respects. At the same time, we almost entirely disavow responsibility for the moral and cultural excellence of our material surroundings.' There is one heading, however, under which we discuss and judge the quality of our material culture, viz., design. Accordingly I propose we think of design as the excellence of material objects. Design in this objective sense is everyone's concern. So are **Authors:** [[Borgmann]]