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What can engineering do for philosophy?
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Engineering as a discipline is often demarcated from the natural sciences. Whilst engineers remain focused on utility, application, and practicality, in their fields "virtues", the natural sciences are more concerned with finding out the absolute truth of certain matters.
To give a crude example no engineer would use the equations of general relativity to model a system since it simply adds further complexity. As long as the system can be modelled, utilized, and predictable, engineers are happy with the consequences. So what can engineering do?
Whilst epistemic approaches and virtues for what counts as successful differs between engineers and those in the natural science, engineers bring with them tools that are invaluable in thorough investigations. Engineers are notoriously useful at "clearing up" so-to-speak.
Models are essential in philosophical pursuits and engineers seem to have mastered these systems. They take well-known intractable problems in mathematics, for example partially differential equations and find neat solutions to them to provide practical - if not real solutions.
Whilst the natural sciences - including mathematics - may debate over "rigour", engineers march forward because of their ability to adapt, transcribe and utilize what they do with what is available. As Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) argued against mathematicians for using Laplace
- transformations that lacked mathematical rigour he said
"Well, what of that? Shall I refuse my dinner because I do not fully understand the process of digestion? No, not if I am satisfied with the result."
Engineers strike a fine line b/w practicality and rigour.
"Well, what of that? Shall I refuse my dinner because I do not fully understand the process of digestion? No, not if I am satisfied with the result."
Engineers strike a fine line b/w practicality and rigour.
Given (some) different virtues for what constitutes rigour and many shared ones, engineers provide useful tools for investigating the world, including simplicity, compromise, forecasting when to delay for future developments, and making intractable problems tractable.
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