Steps toward a Philosophy of Engineering: Historico-Philosophical and Critical Essays

466 Pages·2019·3.062 MB·English

by  Carl Mitcham

Steps toward a Philosophy
of Engineering

Steps toward a Philosophy
of Engineering
Historico-Philosophical and
Critical Essays
Carl Mitcham
London New York
Published by Rowman & Littlefield International, Ltd.
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Copyright © 2020 Carl Mitcham
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: HB 978-1-78661-126-0
PB 978-1-78661-127-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019949259
ISBN 978-1-78661-126-0 (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-78661-127-7 (pbk: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-78661-128-4 (electronic)
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992.
In gratitude for and to the students
especially in China
who have thought along with me
about more than what is included here.

Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Fragments in Search of an Introduction:
Remarks on Engineering as a Theme in Philosophy 1
Emergence 1
Complementary Contexts: West and East 6
Engineering Studies 9
North American Initiatives 11
Engineering in Words 14
Philosophy and Engineering 18
Engineering Is Everywhere 21
Aspirations 22
PART ONE 25
1 Science, Technology, Engineering, and the Military 27
1. Observations from History 27
2. Historico-Philosophical Background 29
3. After World War II in the United States 32
4. Military Embeds with Philosophy of Engineering 35
5. Conclusion 36
6. Addendum: Reengineering Warfare 37
2 Ethics into Design 39
1. On the Existence of Design 40
2. On the Social Dimensions of Modern Design 43
3. On the Ethics of Designing 44
vii
viii Contents
4. Two Versions of an Ethics in Design 46
5. Notes toward an Inner Ethics of Design 48
Notes 50
3 The Importance of Philosophy to Engineering 53
1. Self-Defense and Philosophy 54
2. Self-Interest and Philosophy 56
3. Excursus: Three Questions 60
4. Engineering and Ethics 63
5. Beyond Applied Ethics: Self-Knowledge and Philosophy 67
Notes 69
4 From Dasein to Design: The Problematics of Turning
Making into Thinking (with J. Britt Holbrook) 73
1. The Etymology of “Design” 75
2. Technological Design History 77
3. Engineering Design as the Turning of Making into Thinking 79
4. The Problematics of Engineering Design 81
5. A Duty Plus Respicere and Its Discontents 82
6. The Metaphysics of Engineering Design 84
7. Authenticity in Engineering Design 86
5 Professional Idealism among Scientists and Engineers:
A Neglected Tradition in STS Studies 89
1. FAS, the Bulletin, Pugwash, and UCS 91
2. Committee for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility 98
3. Implications 101
6 Can Engineering Be Philosophical? 105
1. Oppositions 106
2. Obligations 109
3. Options 111
4. Conclusion 116
5. Philosophical Engineering: Five Theses 117
7 Convivial Software: An End-User Perspective
on Free and Open Source Software 119
1. Technological Invention in a Social Context 121
2. The Engineering Ideal 125
3. The Convivial Technology Ideal 128
4. Conclusion and Implications 133
5. Addendum: The Speed Trap 136
Contents ix
8 Comparing Approaches to Philosophy of Engineering:
Including the Linguistic Philosophical Approach
(with Robert Mackey) 139
1. Introduction 139
2. Six Basic Types 141
3. Toward a Linguistic Philosophy of Engineering 144
4. Conclusion 148
PART TWO 151
9 A Spectrum of Ideals in Engineering Ethics, Simplified 153
1. Historical Dialectics of Ethics and Engineering 155
2. First Thesis: Obedience to Authority and Company Loyalty 156
3. The Principle of Loyal Obedience 160
4. Second Thesis: Technocratic Efficiency 161
5. The Principle of Efficiency 163
6. Third Thesis: Public Safety, Health, and Welfare 163
7. Public Safety, Health, and Welfare as Paramount 166
8. Environmentalism and Sustainability 167
9. A Participation Principle 168
10. Elaborating: Selective North American Cases and Issues 169
11. The Jakobsen, Payne, and ASCE Case (1930s) 169
12. The Hydrolevel Case (1960s) 171
13. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Case (1970s) 172
14. The Challenger Disaster (1980s) 173
15. Whistle-Blowing as a Duty to Public Disclosure 173
16. Concluding Non-Dialectic Postscript 175
17. Toward a Soft Dialectical Synthesis 176
18. A Duty Plus Respicere to Take More into Account 177
19. Practical Guidelines for Exercising a Duty Plus Respicere 178
Notes 179
10 The Concept of Sustainability: Origins and Ambivalences 183
1. A Historical and Philosophical Background
for Sustainability 184
2. Immediate Origins of the Concept of
Sustainable Development 186
3. Sustainable Development and Some Near Neighbors 191
4. Criticisms of Sustainability 196
5. Conclusion 199