Philosophy Of Technology Research Articles

Influencing technological change

Abstract The philosophy of technology is not influencing technological change because there isn’t a single philosophy of technology. Philosophers of technology should be involved in technological change because we have something valuable to offer. But before we can get involved, we have to be accepted by those effecting the changes. That means we have to acquire the credentials necessary to establish our credibility. We have to get our hands dirty.

On Engineering Innovation and Engineering Philosophy

Innovation activities promote the development and advancement of human society. The implementation of innovation strategies is an essential tool for a country to have a competitive advantage. Innovation activities follow distinct rules, which can be explored from the perspectives of both individual and team innovation. Individual innovation is influenced by an individual’s knowledge structure, experience, and mindset, whereas team innovation is faced with more complicated systematic problems that should be examined in terms of institutional, organizational, and cultural contexts. Engineering is a fundamental practice in human society. Engineering innovation is the foundation of economic and societal development of humanity and the cornerstone of the innovation strategies of a country. The law of engineering innovation should be summarized from engineering practices and sublimated into engineering philosophy. Through such philosophy, including "systematic thinking, whole advancement, and the optimal combination of subjectivity and objectivity" , the multiple objectives of an engineering project are coordinated, and the diverse factors of the project are systematically integrated. Furthermore, the advancement of engineering science and the improvement of engineering innovation outcomes also require the integration of engineering innovation factors guided by such philosophy.

Object, Contents and Significance of Engineering Sciences:Analysis and Thinking from Perspective of Philosophy of Engineering

Object, Contents and Significance of Engineering Sciences:Analysis and Thinking from Perspective of Philosophy of Engineering

Case Study on Planning and Execution of Residential Building on Complex Hilly Terrain: Sustainable Perspective

This paper depicts a sustainable approach for the safe and cost-effective construction and design of foundations at Devannapet village, Hasanparthy Mandal of Warangal, Telangana State, India. Owing to the uneven topography of the site, the residential building was proposed to be constructed at a relatively higher slope compared to the road level. The uneven distribution of the soil stratum necessitated the adoption of novel and sustainable site-specific foundation technique. To meet the sustainability criteria, the excessive material obtained from the site during the leveling was utilized as construction material (filling, drainage, and as a component in concrete mix design) and in the design of stone masonry earth retaining structure at the downstream side. The engineering philosophy behind designing such a foundation has been discussed in detail in this paper relying on cost–benefit analysis for various components of the foundation. The seepage and drainage problems at the foundation level have been discussed. The details of reinforcements, stability checks, and the resultant design have been discussed in detail in this manuscript. The sustainable method employed in this article will assist the practicing engineers in designing cost-effective foundations for residential buildings when similar terrains are encountered.

Liu Zeyuan's philosophy of engineering and technology: An introduction to his Marxist socioeconomic theory

Liu Zeyuan (1940–2020) was a contributing founder to the Northeastern School in Chinese philosophy of technology. As such, he undertook to develop a theory that built on Marxism as the official ideology of the People's Republic of China. Following an overview of Liu's life and work, this article introduces the Marxist socioeconomic theory that served as a framework for his research. It then describes how he used this theory to reflect on the essential features and historical evolution of engineering and technology along with his analyses of issues related to innovation, ethics, and governance. It includes some reflections on how Liu's thought can be related to other philosophies of engineering and technology both inside and outside China.

Application of the Philosophy of Management and Production Engineering in Eastern Asia in Improving the Processes of Urban Transport Operation

AbstractThe subject matter presented in the article touches the problem of incufficient efficiency of processes and systems in organisation. Achievement of adequate efficiency value is a guarantor of competitive advantage of enterprise. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly work on methods and techniques to improve efficiency, tailored to the needs of various organizations, which also includes service enterprises. Service enterprises include public transport companies. The purpose of the latter is to guarantee that the passenger will be transported from stop A to stop B within a certain time. Failure to achieve this goal incurs certain social costs. Therefore, the article focuses on measures and ways to improve efficiency, developed in Eastern Asian enterprises that have been successful as a result of their use. The first part of the article reviews the literature, including the methods used in this part of the world. The second part, however, concerns the possibility of using the BOST method in improving the efficiency of public transport enterprise processes in Poland.

On Construction of Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway from the Perspective of Engineering Sociology

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway is the first railway independently built by China. Its construction was a dual requirement of the military and the commercial sector. There was a dispute over Right-Of-Way between British and Russian parties; however, they compromised and the Qing court obtained full autonomy over the construction. The construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway reflects the social demands of the project.Limited by road construction funding, construction period, and technical level, they selected the "Guangou Line" and adopted the herringbone line instead of the subsequent "Fengtai-Shacheng Line." These choices reflect the mutual constraints of engineering and technology. Zhan Tianyou was not only a decision maker in the construction team of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway, but also a manager and a designer. Other engineers also assumed the roles of designer, manager, and project implementer. The local foreman who won the project bid was responsible for the less technological details. The construction work aptly reflects the social nature of project implementation.Route selection and project construction also reflect the relationship between man and nature, that is, man must conform to nature while also transforming it. The engineering of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway is the result of the coordination of human social needs with those of the natural environment. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway project perfectly embodies every aspect of engineering philosophy and is a typical case of engineering philosophy research.

Проблемы философского осмысления сложных технических СМАРТ-систем

The research aims to identify specific features and cognition orientation of modern complex technical systems as a phenomenon integrating multiple entities: from economic and production ones to management systems, which necessitates integration of multiform patterns and properties into a single methodological framework. Scientific novelty of the study lies in using B. I. Kudrin’s technocenosis approach, which represents a brand new philosophical branch - philosophy of technetique - as the basic theory. The main idea of this approach can be based upon inextricable link and interdependence between machines, technologies, materials, consumer products, etc., in which every component is identified by a document and at the same time functions as an object of study and management, i.e. a peculiar kind of integrated technocenosis. The authors substantiate such integration by using the participative method, which makes it possible to link together various theoretical sources touching upon issues of philosophy of technology and philosophy of engineering. As a result of the study, the basic foundations of cognition of complex technical systems defining the need to use the cenosis theory for their description and design are offered.

Person or thing oriented: A comparative study of individual differences of first‐year engineering students and practitioners

AbstractBackgroundEngineering practice is meant to advance the human condition, yet curricula do not appear to fully promote the human‐centered philosophy of engineering in implementation. The educational system may inadvertently signal to students that engineering is a career choice better suited for those preferring to work with things rather than people. This framing of the profession prompts questions regarding student interests when compared to those of practicing engineers and how such interests become concrete through education and introduction into the profession.Purpose/HypothesisWe compare engineering students' and practitioners' interest in working with people or things in their environment. We examine gender differences for each sample.Design/MethodsMultiple analysis of variance was used to examine the samples of practicing engineers (n = 339) and first‐year engineering students (n= 383). A multiple‐group confirmatory factor analysis provides evidence of measurement invariance and justifies the use of the person–thing orientation (PO–TO) scale structure for both samples.ResultsDetailed PO values reveal that students' PO scores (n = 383, M = 3.313) are more than one and a half points lower than practicing engineer counterparts examined (n = 339, M = 4.836). However, no significant difference between practicing engineers and students was found for TO. Further, statistically significant differences in PO and TO were found between male and female participants within both samples, students and practicing engineers.ConclusionsDifferences detected in PO and TO across the samples suggest possible environmental factors influencing student perspectives of the engineering profession. This condition may inadvertently discourage more diverse students from pursuing engineering.

Three Dimensions of Medicine: Medical Activities, Medical Roles and Medical Institutions

Understanding "medicine" from the perspective of semantic analysis and object analysis, we regard medicine as an object with three dimensions. The first dimension is medical activities. The second dimension is the roles of medicine. The third dimension is medical institutions. This paper briefly analyzes the contents and internal relations of these three dimensions, especially the relationships among medical theories, medical techniques, and medical treatment. Finally, some particular issues in the battle against COVID-19 are analyzed from the perspective of medical engineering philosophy, including some reflections on the scientific thinking mode and the engineering thinking mode.

Russian Engineering in the Context of Philosophical and Sociological Studies

This article explores the problems of Russian engineering in the context of the world studies in philosophy of engineering. Firstly, the author highlights the main questions and topics of the modern philosophy of engineering: what engineering is, the “magic” and “human-oriented” nature of technologies, and models of engineering ethics. Secondly, the article presents a specific mythological narrative of domestic engineers (“the theory of a missed chance”) and shows the inclusion of this “theory” in alternate historical fiction. Thirdly, the article identifies the reasons for emergence of such mythology in the engineering environment. The author highlights a historical context of “missed chances” for the turning of technical inventions into innovations and claims that the country's engineering potential was not used to a full extent. For greater objectivity, the article uses the works both of foreign and domestic researchers. In addition, the author raised a question about the relatedness of the concepts of engineer and innovation. Finally, the article gives an answer to the question about the essence of the engineer; the author believes that the engineering is primarily an environment, close to the human life world, understanding and maintaining the links between science and technology, providing the necessary channels for transforming inventions into innovations, i.e. commercially realized technologies. The given definition demonstrates the prospects for the development of socio-humanitarian research in the field of engineering.

Осмысление инженерии: интервью с Карлом Митчемом

Carl Mitcham is International Distinguished Professor of Philosophy of Technology at Renmin Universityof China and Professor Emeritus of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Colorado School of Mines inthe United States. For more than four decades of his work in the field of phi­losophy of science andtechnology, he has made important contributions on its most controversial topics, including biotechnologies,IT, energy and many others. Of special interest is his philosoph­ical and socio-historical study ofengineering, which has become the area of his intellectual col­laboration with V.G. Gorokhov. This year,Prof. Mitcham published a new book, “Steps toward a Philosophy of Engineering: Historical-Philosophicaland Critical Essays”. In the interview Pro­fessor Mitcham discusses the developments in engineeringprofession and education and the chang­ing role of engineering societies; the relationships betweenengineering, science and philosophy; the engineering cultures and the meaning of engineering in the modernculture.

Building Moral Brains

Technology is evolving at a rate faster than human evolution, especially human moral evolution. There are those who claim that we must morally bioenhance the human due to existential threats (such as climate change and the looming possibility of cognitive enhancement) and due to the fact that the human animal has a weak moral will. To address these existential threats, we must design human morality into human beings technologically. By moral bioenhancement, these authors mean that we must intervene technologically in the biology of the human animal in order to get it to behave morally to address these existential threats. I will bring the idea of moral bioenhancement into conversation with two philosophers of technology. Bernard Stiegler has argued that technology and culture, and thus technology and human beings, have always evolved hand in hand. Peter-Paul Verbeek notes that we have always designed morality into technology, and thus he sees technology as mediating human morality. When we offload human intentionality onto technology, Verbeek argues, technological objects and systems participate in shaping the moral subjectivity of the human actor. I will show that modern technological bioenhancement obliterates human being. Whereas in the past, human culture was handed from generation to generation through the mediation of technology, in the modern era, the human becomes the raw material upon which a technological will (imperative) rides.

Engineers: Bridging the Gap between Mechanisms and Values

ABSTRACTEngineers managed to attract the attention of thinkers to their profession and become the protagonists of philosophical discourse. This article explores whether the philosophy of engineering can offer any persuasive help toward a definition of the engineer’s ‘essence’, and considers whether a lack of agreement on this definition is really a problem. This study demonstrates the need to involve the context of social theories both in analyzing the prerequisites of the philosophical consideration of the concept ‘engineer’ and in the socially significant reasons for attention to this concept. The novelty of my approach lies in considering the phenomenon of ‘technopreneurship’ within the framework of the philosophy of engineering.

Self-reflection for Activist Engineering.

Many blame politicians, governments, and markets for the technically-driven problems the world faces (think war, climate change, surveillance, disinformation, and so on). But why is it that there are almost always engineers and corporations willing to design and build the technologies that cause those problems, many times in spite of knowing about the negative consequences of those technologies? I offer in this paper practical guidance on how to engage in activist engineering, the goal of which is to get engineers to step back from their work and be able to ask and have a conversation about the question, "What is the real problem, and does this problem 'require' an engineering solution?" Building on research in the history and philosophy of engineering, and engineering ethics and education, as well as current events-all of which highlight important issues of debate within engineering practice-I provide a list of questions that engineers can start with for self-reflection to better understand their motivations for doing engineering work, and to better understand the implications of their work. The questions relate to considerations engineers must make regarding the social, environmental, economic, and peace implications of their work, and relate to alternative and non-technical interventions to the problem at hand. I believe that each engineer should, in the end, be able to answer the questions: Why am I an engineer? For whose benefit do I work? What is the full measure of my moral and social responsibility?

Is technology (still) applied science?

The thesis that technology is applied science is called by Niiniluoto (1997) the standard view. That is surprising because the identification between technology and applied science has been widely rejected by both historians and philosophers of technology, including Rapp (1974), Bugliarello and Doner (1976), Derry and Williams (1977), Feibleman (1983), Skolimowski (1966), Vermaas et al., (2011), Don Idhe (2013). The reasons of such rejection mainly stem from the fact that technology has historically progressed without the benefit of science, i.e., it has been possible to design technological devices without the explicit and systematic development of the scientific theories and laws that would explain their functioning. Polish philosopher Henryk Skolimowski has attacked this identification based on historical evidence. He argues that in the development of technology, there are many cases wherein technological designs have supported pure scientific research, rather than the other way round if technology were applied science. According to Skolimowski, some cases that dispute the identification of technology as applied science are the design of the transistor, supersonic aircraft, and the Manhattan Project. However, this historical evidence should not persuade us for two reasons: 1) Rejecting the previous scientific research that served as the basis for the said technological designs commits Skolimowski to anachronism. 2) From a realistic perspective of science, technological devices are not only subject to the principles and laws of science, regardless of the extent of our knowledge of them, but incorporate insights on more articulated explanations that while not available at the time of designing, do inspire our practical and theoretical efforts and guide further work. In this paper, we posit that the cases offered by Skolimowski to motivate his rejection of the standard view are far from being conclusive. To this end, we not only critically assess each case but also identify other historical examples that might be even more promising to support Skolimowski's thesis. Finally, we critically deal with those more promising cases and argue for a deflationary interpretation of the standard view.

The Role of Rhetoric in Engineering Judgment

Introduction: ABET has approved changes to the EAC's Criterion 3 that will take effect for the 2019-2020 accreditation cycle. Among many changes and rearrangements is the introduction of the term “engineering judgment” as one of the competencies that students must develop to prepare for professional engineering. Literature review: However, engineering judgment is not defined in the criterion, and although it is a ubiquitous concept in the philosophy of engineering and engineering education, little empirical investigation has been undertaken into the practice of engineering judgment. And there is even less conceptual or empirical investigation into communication's role in the practice of engineering judgment. Research questions: 1. What does engineering judgment look like in practice? 2. How does the sociotechnical situation affect engineering judgment? 3. What role does rhetoric have, not only in communicating judgments, but informing them as well? 4. How can teachers and practitioners in engineering and technical communication use these findings to facilitate better judgment in the classroom and at work? Methods: Using videotape and fieldnotes, the author examines the two sequences of decision-making from a student engineering design project. An ethnomethodologically inspired framework is used to exhibit the phenomenal details of “doing” engineering judgment. Discussion/conclusion: Data reveal that engineering judgment may be fruitfully understood by educators as not just a cognitive and individual ability to apply technical knowledge, but instead a capacity of participants to rhetorically establish common cause to interrogate and reflect on the relations between technical data and situations.

A Study on Philosophy of Engineering

이 논문의 목적은 라이트 형제의 비행기 발명과정에서 나타난 공학적 지식의 특성을 분석하는 것이다. 이 논문에서 필자는 라이트 형제가 새와 연, 자전거와 글라이더를 활용하고 자신만의 독특한 방법인 풍동을 제작하여 비행기 조종과 제작에 성공하는 과정을 살펴보았다. 필자는 라이트 형제의 공학적 지식을 코엔의 공학적 방법과 폴라니의 암묵적 지식, 유추의 관점에서 분석했다. 코엔에 의하면 공학적 방법은 가용한 자원 내에서 불충분하게 이해되거나 불확실한 상황에서 최선의 변화를 가져오는 전략이다. 라이트 형제는 대부분의 전문가들이 비행기 제작에 실패한 불확실한(uncertain) 상황에서 유용한 자원(available resources)을 가지고 최선(best)의 결과를 만들어 냈고 그 결과는 세상을 크게 변화(change)시켰다. 폴라니는 발견의 과정에서 암묵적 지식이 중요한 역할을 하고 있다고 주장한다. 암묵지는 우리가 말할 수 있는 것보다 더 많은 것을 알고 있다는 명제를 전제한다. 우리가 어떤 지식을 안다고 할 때 말할 수 있는 지식 이외에도 쉽게 형식화하거나 명확하게 언어화될 수 없는 ‘말할 수 없는’ 지식이 존재한다는 것이다. 라이트 형제는 비행기 제작 과정에서 이론적으로 공부하는 것뿐만 아니라 연을 날리고 자전거를 타면서 균형과 조종의 기술을 배웠으며, 새를 관찰하면서 비행기의 날개와 바람과의 관계를 연구했다. 라이트 형제의 비행기 제작과정과 발견과정은 유비 추리의 좋은 사례라고 할 수 있다. 지식이 부족한 영역에서는 유비추리는 다양하게 작용한다. 지식이 축적 되지 않고 추상적인 지식만으로 문제를 해결해 가는 상황에서 유비 추리는 핵심적인 지식을 대체한다. 라이트 형제의 비행기 조종과 제작 과정에서 나타난 공학적 지식은 유추의 방법과 암묵적 지식을 활용하여 불확실한 상황에서 유용한 자원을 가지고 최선의 결과를 만들어 내고 세상을 변화시키는 성격을 갖고 있다.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of the engineering knowledge demonstrated by the airplane invention process carried out by the Wright brothers. In this paper, I examined the process in which the Wright brothers succeeded in piloting and building airplanes by utilizing birds, kites, bicycles, and gliders, and creating their own unique testing method, the wind tunnel. The writer analyzed the engineering knowledge of the Wright brothers from the perspective of Koen s engineering methods and Polanyi s concepts of tacit knowledge and analogy. Based on Koen, the term engineering method refers to the strategy that results in the best possible outcome in a poorly understood or uncertain situation using the available resources. The Wright brothers produced the best possible results with the available resources in an uncertain situation at a time when most experts failed to build airplanes, and their results changed the world significantly. Polanyi argues that tacit knowledge plays an important role in the process of discovery. Implicit knowledge presupposes the proposition that we know more than we can express. In addition to the type of knowledge that we can express, there is an unspeakable knowledge that is not easily determined or clearly articulated. The Wright brothers learned the art of balance and steering while flying kites and cycling, as well as studying theoretical concepts during the plane s production process; they also studied the relationship between the plane s wings and wind by observing birds. The Wright brothers airplane construction and discovery are good examples of analogy reasoning. When knowledge is scarce, ubiquitousism may prove useful. In a situation where knowledge has not accumulated and only abstract knowledge can solve the problem, analogy reasoning replaces core knowledge. The Wright brothers demonstration of engineering knowledge in the piloting and construction of airplanes reveals characteristics of the analogy method and the use of tacit knowledge to generate the best possible results and change the world using the available resources in an uncertain situation.

Demand response programs in smart grids – survey

The smart grid in this century has an essential role in changing the philosophy of the electrical power engineering. In the past, the generation must be equal to the demand under any situation but with the introduction of the non-conventional grids everything is changed, and the customers should consume energy in the same amount to what already generated from the generation units. The tool to achieve all that is the demand response (DR) strategy. DR can alter the consumption pattern of the consumers to make it flatting instead of the sharp curves that lead to additional costs coming from the increasing generating in the periods of the peaks in the load curve. In this paper, the demand response programs listed and discussed with an indication to the documents that deal with each type. Â

Nature of Engineering Knowledge

The inclusion of engineering standards in US science education standards is potentially important because of how limited engineering education for K-12 learners is, despite the ubiquity of engineering in students’ lives. However, the majority of learners experience science education throughout their compulsory schooling. If improved engineering literacy is to be achieved, then its inclusion in science curricula is perhaps the most efficient means. One significant challenge that arises, however, is in the framing of engineering relative to science by both teachers and curriculum. Science and engineering are both distinct and interdependent. The nature of the contributions of science and engineering to one another has been an area of some examination in philosophy of technology and engineering, but little framing of this relationship has been conducted with K-12 science and engineering education contexts in mind. Nature of science (NOS) is a critical layer of scientific understanding that has been used to explicitly support literacy in K-16 science classrooms for decades. However, engineering cannot be authentically and appropriately supported by NOS framing. There is an immediate need for discourse on the nature of engineering knowledge (NOEK) but not in isolation of NOS. Given the increasing inclusion of engineering in science classrooms, relationships between NOS and NOEK are in need of explication and argument. Our purpose is to promote a discussion about NOS, engineering, and the relationship between them without misrepresenting engineering as a subdomain of science or as an oversimplification of itself.