To Engineer Is Human
The Role of Failure in Successful Design
1985 • 251 pages
Ratings1
Average rating2
15
The Role of Failure in Successful Design
Ratings1
Average rating2
“Though ours is an age of high technology, the essence of what engineering is and what engineers do is not common knowledge. Even the most elementary of principles upon which great bridges, jumbo jets, or super computers are built are alien concepts to many. This is so in part because engineering as a human endeavor is not yet integrated into our culture and intellectual tradition. And while educators are currently wrestling with the problem of introducing technology into conventional academic curricula, thus better preparing today’s students for life in a world increasingly technological, there is as yet no consensus as to how technological literacy can best be achieved. " I believe, and I argue in this essay, that the ideas of engineering are in fact in our bones and part of our human nature and experience. Furthermore, I believe that an understanding and an appreciation of engineers and engineering can be gotten without an engineering or technical education. Thus I hope that the technologically uninitiated will come to read what I have written as an introduction to technology. Indeed, this book is my answer to the questions 'What is engineering?' and 'What do engineers do?'" - Henry Petroski, To Engineer is Human
Reviews with the most likes.
A somewhat repetitive collection of case studies and essays on how past engineering failures become a driving force for innovation and invention, not events to avoid or hide.
I appreciated the emphasis on failure as a fact of life and that creativity is an iterative process driven by failures. “An engineer will always know more what not to do than what to do.” pg.105
The case studies give interesting tidbits about engineering concepts and terminology, but it isn't a book about engineering as a profession or what an engineer does on a day-to-day basis. It was more focused on bringing out the nuances and complexities a designer might face when trying out new ideas or visions.
A final chapter warns of the loss of experiential wisdom by rapid technological change. Relying on computer models that perform all the right calculations and spit out the perfect blueprint is no substitute for an experienced designer who can bring real-world knowledge to the design problem.
In general, a nice little book to learn about the history of some noteworthy engineering design failures and see the connections between failures and progress in engineering designs.
