Engineering: A Beginner's Guide

Discover the human side to the discipline that is profoundly more than nuts and bolts

Discover the human side to the discipline that is profoundly more than nuts and bolts

'A beautifully considered outlook on what engineers think about and do.' Igor Aleksander, Emeritus Professor of Neural Systems Engineering, Imperial College London

The work of engineers surrounds us: from the phones in our pockets to the layout of our cities; these days engineers even transport some of us to the moon. But the skills that brought the world clean water and telecommunications also produced polluting technologies that could threaten its future.

Engineering: A Beginner’s Guide explores the scientific, social, and philosophical implications inherent in the challenges faced by engineers throughout history. From Roman viaducts to bionic limbs, humans have used fascinating and diverse feats of engineering to overcome their limitations. Revealing the widespread impact that this has had on culture, knowledge, and, perhaps most importantly in these times, the environment, McCarthy presents a future where engineering is crucial to saving the planet.

Natasha McCarthy is policy advisor at the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, and a member of the planning group for the international Workshop on Philosophy and Engineering.