Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-339).

Introduction / R. Buckminster Fuller -- Preface -- Part one: Like it is -- What is design? A definition of design and the function complex -- Phtlogenocide: a history of the industrial design profession -- The myth of the noble slob: design, "art," and the crafts -- Do-it-yourself murder: the social and moral responsibilities of the designer -- Our Kleenex culture: obsolescence, permanence, and value -- Snake oil and thalidomide: mass leisure and phony fads in the abundant society -- Part two: How it could be -- Rebel with a cause: creativity vs. conformity -- How to succeed in design without really trying: areas of attack for responsible design -- The tree of knowledge: bionics: the use of biological prototypes in the design of man-made systems -- Conspicuous consumptives: design and the environment: pollution, crowding, starvation, and the designed environment -- The neon blackboard: the education of designers and the construction of integrated design teams -- Design for survival and survival through design: what can we do? Victor Papanek examines the attempts by designers to combat the tawdry, the unsafe, the frivolous, the useless product, once again providing a blueprint for sensible, responsible design in this world which is deficient in resources and energy.