I wonder if design is a cumulative and progressive process. That is to say, does design get 'better' over the years? For instance, what if Palladio were to tour the studio of Christopher Wren? And if Wren were to tour the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright? And if Wright were to tour the studio of Frank Gehry? Would they be appauled or amazed? It doesn't quite work in reverse. Fashion design is the best example of this. Even when some past decade is revived, when you look at actual fashion from that time, it's sort of goofy looking as compared to the contemporary re-interpretation. I don't think that this means that design is asymptotically approaching Beauty, Truth, or any othe Platonic Ideal. Rather, it simply means that those cultural memes become more and more refined as they evolve.

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