Engineering and Philosophy

Engineers love to build things and have an innate sense of wanting to help society. However, these desires are often not connected or developed through reflections on the complexities of philosophy, biology, economics, politics, environment, and culture. To guide future efforts and to best bring about human flourishment and a just world, Engineering and Philosophy: Reimagining Technology and Progress brings together practitioners and scholars to inspire deeper conversations on the nature and varieties of engineering. The perspectives in this book are an act of reimagination: how does engineering serve society, and in a vital sense, how should it.

Zachary Pirtle is a researcher of systems engineering and philosophy based in Washington, D.C., as well as a program executive and engineer enabling science and human exploration on the Moon. David Tomblin is director of the Science, Technology and Society program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Guru Madhavan is the Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and senior director of programs at the National Academy of Engineering.