Harries, Karsten

Bio Sketch

Karsten Harries is an American philosopher and Professor Emeritus at Yale, working on the philosophy of architecture, Heidegger, and the ethical function of art. His The Ethical Function of Architecture (1997) distinguishes building from architecture and argues for architecture's ethical/communal role. He is a key figure in Geoffrey's phenomenology of place and modernity & dwelling areas.

Key Works

• The Ethical Function of Architecture (1997) — building vs. architecture; ornament vs. decoration; the grave and the monument.
• Essays on dwelling, the temple, and the "labyrinth" as counter-model.

Key Concepts

Concepts associated with this author that have pages in this wiki:

• Dwelling
• Critical Architecture
• Everyday Life

Relevance to Geoffrey's Research

Harries anchors Geoffrey's phenomenology of place and ethics of architecture: his distinction between building and architecture, and his account of genuine ornament as carrying a "promise of ... genuine community," give a normative-critical standard against which both functionalist and spectacular architecture can be judged.

Source Support

Source notes in this wiki drawn from this author's work:

• The Ethical Function of Architecture (Harries 1997)
• The Everyday, Building, and Architecture (Haapala, drawing on Harries)
• The Future Is Hairy