How the Western thinkers de-spiritualize, spiritual works for the benefit of the Western ego.

As someone interested in design, reading the works of different architects and designers is a significant way to exercise the mind. Henry van de Velde was one of the many commentators on the concept of Art Nouveau and played an important role in many of the design concepts of the present day

One thing to note is that many of the works published during this time are not published in English, but rather in German, the native language of the author. So, some translations might not be in exact parallel.

Henry Van de Valde begins his manifesto with the following…

“To recognize the meaning, the form, the purpose of all things of the material modern world with the same truth as the Greeks, among the many others, recognized the meaning, form, and purpose of the column.”

The first line of this manifesto suggests that Grecian thinkers recognized the ability to identify the truth. The truth being that it is the purpose of something (this something does not have to follow a definition) must translate into its form. Fair enough.

Continuing the manifesto.

“Religious, arbitrary, sentimental flights of fancy are parasitic plants.”

And thus, hypocrisy prevails.

The unusual habit of Western thinkers is to praise themselves but divorce key attributes that portray a culture or civilization in its totality.

The example is in the manifesto itself. Grecian columns.
One of the most religious architectural features in ancient Greece.

Grecian columns were often crafted with symbolic motifs that portrayed the purpose of the architecture. Most prominently, the god or goddess of the structure was dedicated to. A very religious act. Grecian columns are prime examples of religious, spiritual, arbitrary, and sentimental flights of fancy, all using the plants as inspiration for the motifs on the columns themselves.

In turn, exactly everything Henry Van de Valde says not to do in this manifesto.

This weird flux of contradictions in modern design thinkers is a strange phenomenon that is found in many manifestos.

The strong desire to remove the West from any spiritual hierarchy seems to be the motive.

Where this desire originates from is something to investigate. The consensus seems to be: “Having spiritual or religious inspiration seems to be less, thus we must remove this inspiration.”

But that is simply not possible; why humans act, make, or build has underlying reasoning, not understanding why we do what we do. Makes the act of making seem like a meaningless activity, which could not be further from the truth.

As we study various civilizations, we realize that religion and spirituality are often the motivators for making some of the most beautiful objects and structures that we have ever seen. Instead of acknowledging this aspect of human making, the west thinkers seem to want to be buried six feet under.

In conclusion, as designers and makers ourselves, it is important to analyze the ideas and philosophies of others before consumption. Learning the think critically and fact-check allows us to be firm in our understanding of the world. In turn, an understanding of how we influence it.