Design is a thought activity: we should not replace it with a mere “optimizing” approach, because it’s from imperfections that talent emerges.
«Transparency is necessary to establish a trust relationship. Without mutual trust, democracy can’t exist»: that’s how Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s niece and Robert’s daughter, depicts the relationship between citizens and institutions fifty years after the assassination of JFK, one of the most prominent political figures interpreting these social dynamics at best.
In the words of Kennedy Townsend, the whole civil and political heritage of the famous American family is clear: an heritage made of values such as honesty, courage and respect. «My family – she affirms – has always fought against corruption and for the mutual respect to ensure that everybody treats others in the same way he/she would like to be treated».
Kennedy Townsend points out her family’s strong vocation for the protection of civil rights and summarizes it in a thought-provoking question: how can you trust or believe in something, if even a small part of the community or of the country does not have the freedom to take part in public political and social life?