Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings: The World of an Engineer by James L. Adams

Abstract

454 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings: The World of an Engineer. By James L. Adams. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1991. Pp. 264; illustrations, bibliography, index. $24.95. What do flying buttresses, O-rings, and the concept of entropy have in common? The answer as revealed by the subtitle of this primarily student-oriented, general text is that they each reflect certain aspects ofwhat it means to be an engineer in this world. Frustrated by the lack of “readable general books on engineering,” James Adams, a mechan­ ical engineer and professor in the Program in Values, Technology, Science, and Society at Stanford University, has tried to remedy the problem by describing what it means to be an engineer functioning in society in contrast to the role of scientists and mathematicians, also briefly described and regarding whom we traditionally know some­ what more. Readers of this journal will find little that is new in Adams’s discussions of the history of technology. Indeed, most will find his introductory treatment frustratingly brief. For example, his discus­ sion of flying buttresses covers less than two pages, while his portrayal of Eli Whitney’s role in the development of interchangeable parts is quite traditional and does not do justice to the complexity of that important theme. Adams’s strengths lie elsewhere, most particularly in painting the broader picture of how engineering fits into the process of technological change and all its many societal contexts and constraints. He is at his best when describing the origins of engineer­ ing problems; the role of engineers in the innovation and design processes; and how they utilize their skills in experimental develop­ ment, testing, and failure analysis to develop products and processes appropriate to society, that is, for technologies that the public wants, or at least is willing to accept, that are cost-effective to produce, and that are safe, at least within the context of the existing regulatory process. He thus includes chapters on the role of money and business, manufacturing and assembly, and regulation, which he subtitles “The Painful Reality.” All these topics reflect Adams’s awareness of the importance of economic, societal, and political contexts and con­ straints, as well as the technical, in understanding the process of engineering. In general, Adams takes a “middle-of-the road” (p. 239) position regarding technology. However, I would suggest he goes a little easy on corporate managerial decisions regarding failure in such cases as Bhopal, the Exxon Valdez, the Pinto gas-tank episode, and the Challenger O-rings, and does not really explore deeply the various cozy “triangular” relations among branches of government, business, academia, and special interest groups. Nonetheless, on balance his treatment is fair and raises most of the important issues one would want students to consider. Throughout the text Adams draws on personal experience as a contract officer for the air force, design engineer for the Jet Propul­ TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 455 sion Laboratory, and academic consultant to illustrate his broad themes with interesting case examples. It is frustrating that he often does not provide as much detail as one might wish, or in some cases, especially his discussion of mathematics, may assume more knowledge on the part of the reader than is warranted. Anyone utilizing this volume as a central text in a course would want to supplement it with one or more studies in depth to illustrate further the general themes to which Adams points. One might, for example, readily think of Terry Reynolds’s anthology, The Engineer in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991), consisting of essays drawn from this journal, or Walter Vincenti’s What Engineers Know and How They Know It (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990), which also draws extensively on research originally published in Technology and Culture. In sum, Adams’s book is a suggestive synthesis of the engineer’s role in modern society and should be attractive to a broad range of general interest readers, including engineering students, who, because of the scientific and technical focus of their training, often are not exposed to how their work and chosen profession fit into the broader world. Stephen H...