Decomposing 'As If'

The " As if " Dilemma

As-If-Republican Interpretation

Designing as if trust mattered

Historically, builders of CSCW tools have not focused on the creation of trust among users as a critical design goal. Yet, high levels of trust produce a number of benefits, including reduced coordination and communication costs. These benefits are particularly salient and desirable for geographically distributed workers. Therefore, to the extent that support for geographically distributed work...

Health care as if health mattered.

THERE IS CONSENSUS ABOUT THE NEED FOR FUNDAMENtal change in the US health care system and there has beenattentiontotheimportantproblemsofinadequate access and increasing costs. But the most serious shortcoming—that the nation’s health system is not designed to maximize health—has been overshadowed. Individuals in theUnitedStatesreceiveonlyabouthalftherecommendedmedical services. Only 43% of ind...

Tlön and the Philosophy of “As if”

ive thinking cuts its way by suppressing aspects of the real. Similarly, a system consists in subsuming the multiplicity of factors to one type only (a type, which in turn, has been obtained likewise). The same holds for categories, which are formed by selecting certain aspects or cases while ignoring others; the selection being made upon the criterion of expediency (we do not put together alem...