Overview
Sets out what engineering actually is
Demonstrates historically how knowing and doing have evolved hand in hand
Identifies and explores many of society’s grand challenges including climate change
Suggests five guiding principles that may help us to steer a way through a risky future
Rejuvenates Aristotle’s neglected notion of phronesis or practical wisdom – the intellectual virtue of practical reasoning—for the current era
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (9 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book illuminates what engineering is and how it relates to other disciplines such as art, architecture, law, economics, science, technology, and even religion. The author explains, from an intrinsic as well as descriptive perspective, why engineering is essential for our collective well-being, and how, like medicine, it is undertaken by people, and for people, to improve the human condition. He brings out the 'magic' of engineering practice as well as addressing the darker aspects such as warfare and the misuse of the internet. A too commonly held view assumes that the practice of engineers is a cold, purely quantitative and wholly technical enterprise of applying know science, and devoid of creativity or aestheticism. In 2013 the United States National Academy of Engineering launched a campaign called “Changing the Conversation, Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering” with four messages to impart about engineers: that they make a world of difference; are creative problem solvers; that they help shape the future, and are essential to health, happiness, and safety. In this volume, Professor Blockley incorporate these messages into an engaging exposition of engineering accomplishment in all of its evolving diversity, from the technician to the academic research engineer, illustrating the continuum of thinking and purpose from the fixer of the gas boiler to the designers of the A380 and the iPhone.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Creativity, Problem Solving, and Aesthetics in Engineering
Book Subtitle: Today's Engineers Turning Dreams into Reality
Authors: David Blockley
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38257-5
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Engineering, Engineering (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-38256-8Published: 01 March 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-38259-9Published: 01 March 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-38257-5Published: 29 February 2020
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 225
Number of Illustrations: 19 b/w illustrations, 40 illustrations in colour
Topics: History of Technology, Engineering/Technology Education, Popular Science in Technology, Science and Technology Studies