A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller

by Amy C. Edmondson

In a broad sense Design Science is the grammar of a language of images rather than of words. Modern communication techniques enable us to transmit and reconstitute images without the need of knowing a specific verbal sequential language such as the Morse code or Hungarian. International traffic signs use international image symbols which are not specific to any particular verbal language. An image language differs from a verbal one in that the latter uses a linear string of symbols, whereas the former is multidimensional. Architectural renderings commonly show projections onto three mutually perpendicular planes, or consist of cross sections at differ­ ent altitudes representing a stack of floor plans. Such renderings make it difficult to imagine buildings containing ramps and other features which disguise the separation between floors; consequently, they limit the creativity of the architect. Analogously, we tend to analyze natural structures as if nature had used similar stacked renderings, rather than, for instance, a system of packed spheres, with the result that we fail to perceive the system of organization determining the form of such structures.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, where she teaches courses in leadership, organizational learning, and operations management in the MBA and Executive Education programs.

Reviews

[Tommy Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever tried to actually read Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics, you know it's pretty wild and obtuse. I have a copy and I've always had to be content with just looking at the weird diagrams. I just ain't that smart!

Edmondson tries to put it all into normal English, in the hopes that mostly normal people can understand it. And she does a damn fine job. She's lightyears more readable that Bucky. Which is not to say that this is a light read. It's not. But at least you feel like you have a shot at understanding.

One warning, though. You'll forever cringe when someone speaks of squaring and cubing numbers.

[Sebastian Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Things you'll never be taught in school, but will change the way you view your world. Not just out of the box thinking, it's about completely re-fashioning what the box is in the first place (or rather replacing it with a tetrahedron).

[Michael Jay]

I love Fuller's ideas, and having gone through parts of Synergetics, I was curious to see what another fan, more invested and expert than I am, could do in terms of explaining his ideas.

Amy Edmondson will have my ear, and eye, and I will let you know how it goes.

[Pritam Poddar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lucid explanation of Fuller's findings.