The Architect(ural Theorist)'s Folly

In a type of compare and contrast, Eisenman's "Post-Functionalism" and Whiting/Somol's "Doppler Effect" each contend with the idea of universality - and architecture's role in defining itself. Both, although ostensibly opposed, struggle to distance themselves from the tendency to at least hint at the universal validity of their approaches in order to establish a convincing theoretical basis. This, then, undermines each idea of a method. Eisenman's misstep is more apparent along the lines of prescription, but Whiting/Somol proclaim a type of ambiguous "approach" to creating an architectural praxis. See: "A projective architecture does not make a claim for expertise outside the field of architecture nor does it limit its expertise to an absolute definition of architecture. Design is what keeps architecture from slipping into a cloud of heterogeneity." Surprisingly, both use Foucault to their advantage.