Univocal Design: An Ontotheology of Oreation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46516/inmaterial.v10.327Keywords:
design philosophy, univocity, mysticism, theology, creationAbstract
This paper introduces the concept of univocal enmeshment as a novel ontological framework for understanding design as a metaphysical act of creation. Drawing from medieval theology ‒ particularly Duns Scotus’s doctrine of univocity ‒ and extending through mystical, occult and modern philosophical traditions, we argue that design is not merely a technical or aesthetic practice but a manifestation of Being itself. By tracing the historical entanglement of design with Christian mysticism, occult science and speculative metaphysics, we reveal how artefacts emerge from a shared ontological field that includes both Life and technics. Engaging with key thinkers including Deleuze, Simondon, Heidegger and Thacker, we propose that design operates within a continuum of immanence, where creation is distributed, ambiguous and co-emergent. The resulting model of univocal enmeshment challenges hierarchical and hylomorphic views of design, offering instead a vision of design as a mystical, recursive and more-than-human process of becoming.
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