From the fundamentals to the Praxis: Constructing a different engineering education to make our world a less risky place

If we look to the human history we will see that, along with several marvelous achievements, technical development has given many bad fruits, either as intended outcomes (e.g., bombs and weapons) or as foreseeable or unpredictable side effects (e.g., environmental destruction and social disruption). This same history can also unveil a technology that is much less neutral, always embodying social values and, as a consequence of the chosen set of them, dealing very differently with the collateral effects, the possibility of their occurrence and their prevention. According to such understanding, many claims for resilience may be questioned when the calamity being experienced is caused by technology. Actually, in such case, the more sensible thing left to be done seem to be trying to change technique or the pattern of its development, instead of only adapting to or bearing the suffering it causes/d. Since the professional eventually in charge of technical design and implementation is the engineer, we must thus think about the formation we currently provide him/her. For, depending on the skills we are allowing or encouraging them to develop, the threat of a more risky world may be bigger or smaller. In this paper, besides undertaking and substantiating this reflection, we will also present a possible model for such an education to be achieved. It is important to highlight, however, that our approach will be a more philosophical one, based on some important authors of this area and focusing on the fundamentals of what will be discussed (e.g. technology and technical development). Moreover, our main intention is not to offer our readers a definitive and universal answer, but rather to leave them (you) with questions and the desire to search and try different solutions that could finally give the fruits we most need currently: engineers able to perform a social sensitive technical job.