Design is a product of "Western" culture, and its foundation is often considered to be the ancient Greek concept of "techne." However, different researchers point to the connection between design and other ancient Greek concepts. The authors believe that various ancient Greek notions, in modern interpretations, can be used as key words when formulating the semantic cores of designs from different countries to promote regions. The aim of the study is to compare the reflections of various authors on design in the context of their cultures, showing that they, while speaking the same language of ancient Greek concepts (albeit reinterpreting them), freely or involuntarily describe the specifics of understanding design in different regions. Based on the available material, the authors examine the specifics of design understanding in Russia, Northern European countries, and China. The study employs a comparative method, contrasting the reflections of three authors: R. Tirrell, O.I. Genisaretsky, and Yuk Hui. In the second half of the 20th century, there was a shift in the interpretation of design in the West from "techne" to "poiesis" ("poetic design" and "autopoiesis"), which, according to the authors, is due to paradigmatic shifts in science, philosophy, and art. Regarding the regional component in understanding design, R. Tirrell connects "arche" and "techne," thus arriving at a Northern European phenomenological design that uses various "arche": archetypes and elemental principles. O.I. Genisaretsky, reflecting on the importance of "sophia," which he endows with reflexivity, or self-addressedness, the ability to think and improve oneself, continues and reinterprets the Russian philosophical tradition. Meanwhile, Hong Kong philosopher Yuk Hui, referencing the concept of "cosmos," deliberately raises questions about technique in China. The authors conclude that in answering the question of regional identity in the design of different countries, it is reasonable to rely on ancient Greek concepts, seeing "techne-poiesis" and "arche" as the foundation in the design of Scandinavian countries, "techne-poiesis" and "sophia" in Russian design, and "techne-poiesis" and "cosmos" in Chinese design, understood as order but with a Chinese specificity.
Tretyakova et al. (Wed,) studied this question.