What Engineers Really Need To Do

Blog #14

10-20-14

Maria Kozdroy

Disclaimer: this is to be used as a response to class discussion and reading.

What Engineers Really Need To Do

            Is technocratic innovation moving at a pace in which overconsumption will reach its pinnacle and fall, resulting in societal economic decreases, too?  In The Future of Technological Civilization by Edward Woodhouse, he states in chapter 11, “Many or most engineers would find it difficult to keep their jobs if they actively opposed overconsumption: indeed, they might well jeopardize their livelihoods if they merely refused to accelerate consumption.”  Overconsumption is a major issue today, especially for engineers.  As a result Woodhouse believes engineering curriculums should change to accommodate the increasing economic overconsumption of materials. I would like to critique Woodhouse and his suggestions on how engineers should learn wiser ways to be standard consumers through lesser variety and quantity.  I believe that engineers should continue designing and manufacturing a wide range of products, and that over time if supplies become limited, it is up to the engineers to generate a plan on other ways and materials to create it.

            Usually engineering is taught in such a narrow-minded technical way that the right brain is sometimes forgotten about entirely!  Langdon Winner, chair of the Science Technology and Society program at RPI, believes engineers need to have, “political savvy and the capacity for political imagination.”  On a broader scale, political imagination can mean finding creative ways to satisfy peoples’ needs; therefore, testing out new materials now for products that in many years from now, engineers will have studied a variety of other materials available at that time.  Overconsumption should become less of a problem if a variety of unfamiliar materials are used.

            In addition, there has been a great increase in variety of stores now-a-days due to both variety and quantity.  Are the physical stores causing any harm to society, without regard to the products being sold under influence of engineering overconsumption?  I think not.  Having more stores selling more products generates a better economy most likely, especially if these stores are local businesses.  Also, if one variety is not selling well, then engineers should come up with the solution to either eliminate the product entirely or produce less of it.

Over time, I would love to witness changes in engineers’ designs to use a new variety of materials.  This new age shall be one of much researching and much success.  Hopefully, manufacturing engineers will stop considering their professions as “landfill suppliers,” according to a source of Woodhouse.  If engineers continue accelerating with the use of many materials, then perhaps landfills will be reduced as by then a numerous amount of different materials are studied, including their potential consequences. 


Sources: Woodhouse, Edward; "The Future of Technological Civilization"; Chapter 11.