ABSTRACT
Debates about the relative importance of the form and content of objects, including buildings, go back to the ancient world, but we do seem to have reached an extraordinarily confused situation at the moment with respect to this central theme of architectural theory. Between the two extreme schools of thought - those who approach content almost exclusively via form, who prize extrinsic qualities over intrinsic ones, and their arch-opponents, those who place the emphasis on the single-minded pursuit of universal, atemporal values as perceived through the intellect rather than the senses - there are many shades of opinion.
