Beyond Engineering

by Robert Pool

Book Overview

We have long recognized technology as a driving force behind much historical and cultural change. The invention of the printing press initiated the Reformation. The development of the compass ushered in the Age of Exploration and the discovery of the New World. The cotton gin created the conditions that led to the Civil War. Now, in Beyond Engineering, science writer Robert Pool turns the question around to examine how society shapes technology. Drawing...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195107721
• ISBN13: 9780195107722
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Gave Me New Career Perspective

Despite the fact that this book may cause the casual reader to want to gloss over the details of the history of the A-bomb or nuclear reactors or even of electricity, for a young PhD Research Engineer such as myself, it gives greater meaning to research. In fact, it has been instrumental in spurring me towards a career in science policy and/or technology transfer, or something that involves the integration of science, policy, and business (a pursuit currently under way). The point is very clear - the best technology does not always win. This underscores the need for more technologists to understand the non-technical factors involved in product or process commercialization and to respect the democratic process, rather than being aloof about the "goodness" of "pure science".

Excellent Discourse - a wakeup call

I think this book is a wakeup call for society - for all of us to re-evaluate ourselves and recognize the role we play in the evolution of technology. I think the author brings out such a valid point of the complexity of technology, and as a scientist/engineer myself, I find it refreshing, and not a burden, to think up new ideas and view my field in light of what effect society could/would have on it, instead of just what effect it could have on society. I personally think some of the detail on nuclear power could have been avoided without the reader missing the point (but I guess you can't disregard the hand (publisher) that feeds you). I also draw attention to another book, Biomimicry by Janine Benyus, which makes the point that nature provides a model for scientific innovation. If nature was our map, then the complex picture of technology that Pool paints could be a lot clearer and brighter.

Co-evolution and Learning - Society and Technology

`Beyond Engineering' is subtitled `How Engineering Shapes Society'. It is that but it is much more. It is a book about technology and society. It is part a descriptive history and sociology of technology and part a prescriptive analysis of how society can manage technology to its best purposes. It is broken into two main parts. The first describes the technological process and shows how technologies are selected for mass utilization. The second uses this analysis and discusses the issues that have now arisen with the ascendancy of technology and its central place in society.In discussing the technological selection process, the author Robert Pool makes much of the power of incumbency. A new technology does not arise form nothing but is developed in a co-evolution between scientific progress and societal capabilities. It is developed by human beings who live in a particular point in history and thus have their values and practices shaped in a specific manner. Any technology that is developed will have to be compatible with the social and technical attitudes prevailing at that time. Pool shows in his discussion of the development of the Watt steam engine that the engine was developed taking into full account the attitudes of the people who would have to implement and manufacture it. Watt could scientifically demonstrate the need for tight tolerances to maximize efficiency but his engine was being developed in an era of craft workman who could not see the necessity of such tolerance. Watt was compelled to set up controlled manufacturing sites where he could build machines to the required tolerances. It would have been more efficient to manufacture the engines in place with local labour but that could not be done in the ethos of that time. Mistakes once made in the development of technology will propagate themselves in the social and technical attitudes of the people involved in its continuing development. Pool shows how nuclear power developed within the technological attitudes of military propulsion and civilian power generation. Pool shows how attitudes in these domains shaped the technological choices and how these choices were not the best either technically or commercially. Pool's analysis of the power of incumbency and the multi-armed bandit is excellent here.The second part of the book talks of central place of technology in our society. Technology has moved far from the time of Watt. Now, technology is so complex that no one human being can be aware of all that factors that go into the development and operation of a major new invention. The implication of this is that no one can understand and predict the operation of a major invention in all circumstances. Technological risk cannot be obviated by the building of entirely predictable systems. Rather risk has become probabilistic with designs being created to hopefully prevent failures causing major loss of life or economic loss rare.Society must decide if the risks inherent in a technology

Outstanding Thematic Study of Society and Technology

Beyond Engineering is the brightest of the many shining stars that make up the Sloan Technology Series. It is easily the most educational, enlightening and thought provoking ("The One Best Way" by Kanigel being a close second) of the series, and will be the barometer by which I personally measure all future popular technology books. Mr. Pool looks at the way in which technology and society shape each other by looking at eight key elements of these interactions. These areas form the chapters of Beyond Engineering, with Mr. Pool frequently using many poignant technological case studies, biotechnology, steam powered automobiles, the Xerox Alto, and many others. The recurring case study which unites the book is that of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. Despite the non-chronological nature of this story, it is told thoroughly, using just the right amount of technical explanation to explain without overwhelming.Indeed, Mr.Pool began his book as a history of the US Nuclear Power Industry, but changed his topic as several other authors beat him to it ("Nuclear Choices" by R. Wolfson and "Nuclear Renewal" by R. Rhodes). It is a good thing they did, otherwise he would not have looked at this as merely a case study, in which to frame socio-technological interaction. The eight areas that are covered; momentum, idea creation, business, complexity, choices, risk, control and trade-offs are very quickly paced and liberally sprinkled with very poignant references. His thematic review of the subject matter is similar to the author Lisa Jardine's histories of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. The most frequently referred to text is Kuhn's classic "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." This book could be viewed as the technological adaptation of Kuhn's scientific applications.There are no ways in which the text disappoints, and it would be difficult to endorse it any more enthusiastically than I am. This book will be of benefit to anyone that works in technology, has a general interest in that area, is curious about nuclear power, or is simply looking for a good book.

Great reading in the history of technology; some pitfall...

Review by Ying Ki Kwong of Portland, Oregon, USA. This book makes very intereting connections between societal forces and technological development. The author attempts to make his points by examining a range of technology areas and industries. Readers interested in the history of technology and science and the philosophy of science will find this book very interesting. The book's coverage of the history of nuclear reactor technology and the electrical power industry in the U.S. is thorough and well presented. However, I do not find its account of other industries nearly as thorough. For example, the attempt to incorporate the software industry to support the main thesis was not sophisticated, possibly weakening the author's point in some instances. Still, this is probably justified by the author's desire to connect with a greater readership. The opening chapter introduces the philosophical concepts of rationalism and relativism. The two extremes constitute excellent reference frames to examine the history of various technology types and industries. I am slightly disappointed that the larger topic of philosophical inquiry (namely rationalism vs. relativisim) is not addressed beyond this, especially when the complex intereplay between technology and society has finally been established after significant efforts.