Debunking Contemporary Myths Concerning Engineering

Abstract

Efforts to understand the human activity we call engineering and to develop a Philosophy of Engineering are hampered by a number of myths. One oft-heard and over-used example will demonstrate this point. Repeatedly we read in the newspaper or hear on television that “engineering is applied science” in spite of the demonstrable fact that this could not possibly be true. The objective of this paper is to debunk some of the most egregious of the contemporary myths concerning engineering. Rather than rely on conjecture and personal opinion, the strategy employed is to use an inordinate number of direct quotations from classical texts and living experts. This is supplemented by extensive quotations, images, and commentary from documentaries produced by the most reputable sources such as the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Encyclopedia where there would be credible fact checking by content specialists if it was to exist anywhere. At the conclusion of our investigations, we will consider the archetypical engineering project and meet the earliest engineer in history whose name is known and stare directly into his face.