July 19, 2024 ☼ Random
LEGO’s design philosophy - starting with a destination and working backward - promotes a task-oriented mindset. Like puzzles, LEGO forces users into solving the narrow problems that it defines, a useful skill no doubt, but one that hardly stimulates creativity.
The focus on execution over exploration reduces the user to a cog in the assembly line, reminiscent of Adam Smith’s warnings about the division of labor creating soulless individuals.
Contrast this with an open-ended approach where each block sparks infinite possibilities. This is the mindset of an artist. Experimentation and creation become the journey and innovation emerges.
Adding to this are LEGO’s commercialization tactics. Their brand tie-ins and corporate partnerships turn users into products. The goal must not simply be to optimize, but create anew, a distintion that will only grow sharper as we enter the AI era where imagination and not efficiency will drive progress.