Engineering Design and Social Value

Because of the exponential growth of science and technology, the engineering student cannot hope to take more than a small sub-set of the many engineering courses available to him. The question often arises about the degree to which engineering students should find room in their cramped study schedule for work in the humanities, the social sciences, and other nonengineering topics. The engineer is faced with making value decisions in the realistic practice of his profession. In this paper, it is shown that making value decisions is inherent in the design process itself. It is also shown that the engineer's position in modem society is often at the right hand of major decision makers. Since many engineers are in a position where they cannot avoid sharing responsibility for decisions affecting social, political, and economic change, serious training in these areas appears desirable.