crisis / critic

A significant contribution to the discussion of the 'bankruptcy of architecture' was P.Pyla's remark on the common etymological root of crisis and critic. While both words originate from the greek word κρίσις (krisis) meaning 'decision', in the 17th century 'crises' was also used to denote a decisive point, in other words a 'critical moment'. Pyla was elaborating on the ways sustainability is becoming the obvious answer to the economic and environmental crises of our time with the fear of becoming a meta-narrative and hegemonic discourse. A first step against such a possibility, Pyla proposed, is the understanding of 'crises' as a time that calls for critic, and critical thinking.