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The Civilized Engineer
Civil engineer Samuel Forman's The Civilized Engineer is aimed at both those observing and commenting externally on engineering, and the practicing engineer―to reveal something of the art behind great engineering achievements, and to stimulate debate upon the author's hypothesis that "in its moment of ascendance, engineering is faced with the trivialization of its purpose and the debasement of its practice."
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 15, 2012
A hard to find book on being an engineer and your roles play out in society. How to be an honorable engineer.
April 15, 2018
Three stars is a compromise rating for a book that left me with conflicted feelings. In some ways this was a five star, excellent book; but at times I also wanted to throw it across the room. (Which would have been awkward, as I read it on a Kindle...)
On the one hand: I thought this was a very good, nuanced treatment of the relationship between engineering as a field and the liberal arts. I agreed with a lot the author had to say about encouraging engineers to learn and engage more with literature, the arts, politics, and ethics. And I thought he made good points about the obligations of professionals to both engage with the implications of their work, and to still do their best work if a decision doesn’t go their way.
On the other hand, I found it very hard to engage with the parts of the book where the author described his personal journey. I’m a middle-aged straight white guy, and even I found it hard to identify when the author talked about his relatively privileged position as if it were universal. Part of this is clearly a generation gap, but for a book called “The Civilized Engineer”, it could have used a bit more self-awareness.
The author also seemed to assume in places that engineering and management were completely separate things. While he mentioned the transition between being an individual engineer and being a manager in a few places, he spoke very little of what happens after. How do the lessons of engineering professionalism translate into management? What obligations do you have as a decision maker with technical knowledge? He doesn’t say. That might be due to the industry he’s in — I don’t know how civil engineering companies are organized. But it made it difficult to find useful lessons for the computing industry, where the full management chain up to the CEO are often at least trained in engineering.
So I’m left with a book that on balance, I sort of like. Which I sort of recommend, but only with a bunch of footnotes and caveats. And an author who I’d like to read more from, but who I know will probably annoy me.
On the one hand: I thought this was a very good, nuanced treatment of the relationship between engineering as a field and the liberal arts. I agreed with a lot the author had to say about encouraging engineers to learn and engage more with literature, the arts, politics, and ethics. And I thought he made good points about the obligations of professionals to both engage with the implications of their work, and to still do their best work if a decision doesn’t go their way.
On the other hand, I found it very hard to engage with the parts of the book where the author described his personal journey. I’m a middle-aged straight white guy, and even I found it hard to identify when the author talked about his relatively privileged position as if it were universal. Part of this is clearly a generation gap, but for a book called “The Civilized Engineer”, it could have used a bit more self-awareness.
The author also seemed to assume in places that engineering and management were completely separate things. While he mentioned the transition between being an individual engineer and being a manager in a few places, he spoke very little of what happens after. How do the lessons of engineering professionalism translate into management? What obligations do you have as a decision maker with technical knowledge? He doesn’t say. That might be due to the industry he’s in — I don’t know how civil engineering companies are organized. But it made it difficult to find useful lessons for the computing industry, where the full management chain up to the CEO are often at least trained in engineering.
So I’m left with a book that on balance, I sort of like. Which I sort of recommend, but only with a bunch of footnotes and caveats. And an author who I’d like to read more from, but who I know will probably annoy me.
November 11, 2023
A sociological treatise on engineering education. So, mostly just the author's opinion. Interesting thoughts on accreditation and the value of liberal arts for an engineer.
April 12, 2012
The tales of a person who as a young man decided to become an engineer.
Over the years he oscillated between engineering and literature.
"When older engineers get together they invariably agree that immediately after graduating from college they wished they had taken more technical courses. Ten years later, advancing along career paths, they wished they had learned more about business and economics. Ten years again, in their forties, thinking about the nature of leadership and musing about the meaning of life, they regretted not having studied literature, history, and philosophy. This pattern has become something of a cliche, confirmed by studies and polls."
I found it delightfully well written. Some books we read because we have to or feel that they will prove useful. Other books we read because they delight us. This one delights.
Over the years he oscillated between engineering and literature.
"When older engineers get together they invariably agree that immediately after graduating from college they wished they had taken more technical courses. Ten years later, advancing along career paths, they wished they had learned more about business and economics. Ten years again, in their forties, thinking about the nature of leadership and musing about the meaning of life, they regretted not having studied literature, history, and philosophy. This pattern has become something of a cliche, confirmed by studies and polls."
I found it delightfully well written. Some books we read because we have to or feel that they will prove useful. Other books we read because they delight us. This one delights.
March 24, 2015
I have been an engineer for 30 years and this book explains many of the concepts that I have been unable to articulate. I would recommended this book as a gift for high schoolers or college freshmen that are contemplating an engineering major as it clearly explains what is really involved in an engineering career. I would also highly recommend it to non a engineer family and friend who don't really understand what it is that we engineers do.
November 10, 2012
Samuel C. Florman is widely considered one of the best writers ever seen in the world of engineering. There isn't an undergraduate engineering major on Earth who should miss this book. It is not a long nor a difficult read, and it addresses in detail one of the most important subjects that we never cover in engineering school: ethics.
This gets a prominent place on my shelf.
This gets a prominent place on my shelf.
October 12, 2015
Great book to flip through for both peoples from the two worlds.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews