Why do engineers think?

Abstract

It is noted that technology has received severe criticism for being myopic, insensitive, without vision, and unaware of its social impacts. The author emphasizes that technologists and managers provide services to society and can no longer view their role and the associated thinking as simply solving challenging physical problems. It is argued that technologists and their managers should not consciously or unconsciously restrict their thinking capabilities to the solution of technical and physical problems. Society expects from the technologist satisfaction of its needs, which is a much larger task than solutions for the related physical problems. The author focuses on the next stage of the thinking and achieving process-establishing the 'true' nature and content of the situation confronting the technologist. Methodology for executing this stage of the process is limited. An initial schema is presented for operationalizing this cognitive function. The computer engine for facilitating questioning appeared to perform adequately, although there is room for improvement and enhancement.<>