Reflections on Creativity: Exploring the Role of Theory in Creative Practices Duncan of Jordanstone College, 2007, ISBN 1 899 837 56 6 1 The Switch of Ethics and the Reflective Architect: In- between Practice and Theory Leonidas Koutsoumpos Abstract This paper re-examines the problematic distinction between theory and practice, as it appears in architectural design education by relating it to the overall discourse of philosophical Ethics. For this I associate the term morality with normative evaluations according to a rule, while the term ethics with the concept of custom or habit. Morality, then, being related to a transcendental rule, appears to have a rather theoretical overview over practice, while ethics constitute the practical application of theory. Finally, I argue for a holistic overview that sees the embedment of practice into theory and theory into practice, by re-examining the original Greek terms theoria and praxis. In these terms, reflection-in-action appears to be a key concept of understanding the way that these cases appear in the everyday practice of architecture. Keywords: ethics, morality, praxis, theoria, reflection-in-action Full Paper Introduction An electrical switch is any device used to interrupt the flow of electrons in a circuit. Switches are essentially binary devices: they are either completely on (‘closed’) or completely off (‘open’). 1 Very little research has been accomplished so far which relates Ethics with creativity. Especially in architecture, creativity is usually affiliated with imagination, inspiration, and the wider realm of Aesthetics. On the other hand, Ethics have mainly been thought in terms of responsibility, duties, and obligations; haunted by the polarity between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. On the contrary, I would like to address herein the Ethics of creativity, emphasising the process of creation itself. The practice of 1 Kuphaldt, T. R. Switch types, Available at: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_4/chpt_4/1.html (16/06/06) (author’s emphasis).