The Civilized Engineer [Paperback]

Samuel C. Florman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1988

Civil engineer Samuel Forman's The Civilized Engineer is aimed at both those observing and commenting externally on engineering, and the practicing engineer—to reveal something of the art behind great engineering achievements, and to stimulate debate upon the author's hypothesis that "in its moment of ascendance, engineering is faced with the trivialization of its purpose and the debasement of its practice."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Civil engineer Florman ( The Existential Pleasures of Engineering, Blaming Technology here indulges in sufficient autobiography to reveal how, instinctively, he reached out for a well-rounded education in the arts and humanities, which he now sees as crucial to human survival. This lends a charming informality to his book's undisguised mission: to drive home to the young the necessity of avoiding too-narrow specialization, noting that technology seems to have become the obsession of the success-minded. He presents his case for the cultural development of today's youth, using examples as current as the Challenger tragedy to suggest that technological minds tend to downgrade human risks and responsibilities. "If I were king," writes Florman, he would require major courses in history and literature at all engineering schools.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Essential reading . . . [Florman's] lucid prose is readily accessible to anyone who wants to know more about the profession most influential in shaping the 20th Century."—Philadelphia Inquirer

"With The Civilized Engineer, Florman has written his most substantial book to date . . . Enjoyable to read . . . The book is a useful aid for focusing one's own (often unexamined) views on what it now means and what it should mean to be an engineer."—Technology and Society

"Florman is the man we've been looking for. Incredible as the combination may appear, he is both a practicing engineer and a truly gifted writer."—Fortune

"The Civilized Engineer is remarkable simply because there is no other engineer author who talks to engineers the way Florman does. Any intelligent engineer who doesn't want to think like a frog in an enclosed pond would do well to read this book."—Engineering Times

"Mr. Florman is a respected professional engineer and a man of wide cultivation. He writes with beautiful clarity and his wit springs from his material; it is not applique. The reader is never in doubt about what Mr. Florman is saying. in an age of murky prose. this quality alone would win him an enthusiastic readership."—The New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312025599
• ISBN-13: 978-0312025595
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars passionate and introspective, June 26, 2000

By 

M. Russell "bama-fan" (CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civilized Engineer (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for anyone who's ever wanted to take a look into the mind of an engineer. Many of the examples are outdated and the later capters degrade into seemingy-endless lobbying for increased integration of liberal arts into engineering education (a noble, but unrealistic goal). However, this book provides insight into the engineering profession by asking questions that all engineers should ask themselves (but many may not have). Questions such as: what makes and engineer an engineer? how did engineering develop from its early days as informal apprenticeships into a "civilized" profession? how does an engineer balance the demands of his/her employer against his/her own conscience? One may not always agree with the answers given, nonetheless, the questions provide insight into what makes at least one engineer tick. As an engineer, I could identify with the author and his quest for self understanding.

This book provides a refreshing alternative to the "nerdy" image with which engineers are often identified. It provides a chance to view the "anonymous profession" of engineering as a sum of its individual parts. Yes, as professionals engineers must be exact, but we must also be creative. Yes, engineers must be loyal to their employer and work from withing the system, but as individuals, we carry with us our individual identities, political ideals, and codes of honor. Yes, we must learn math and science (and dare I that many of us even enjoy doing so), but many of us also enjoy literature, music, art, and other "liberal" studies. This book proves that at least one engineer can WRITE a well-researched book that is also enjoyable to read. Indeed an engineer can be both technically competent and civilized.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Critically Thinking Engineer, September 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Civilized Engineer (Paperback)

To call this book a classic would be stretching the metaphor a bit. It's audience is, perhaps inappropriately, far too small. But, for those engineers who may wish to understand their academic training and subsequent practice as more than a vocational exercise will appreciate Florman's thesis, and may even be profoundly changed by it. Florman takes great care in describing how engineers, as creative artists, are not immune from the so-called "liberal arts", and can actually benefit from them. Engineers need critical thinking. The author was able to teach me that, even though I don't practice engineering, the intellectual stimulation I felt while studying it is an invaluable asset. That stimulation encouraged me to continue--to satisfy that innate curiosity independent of subject. Technology has an intangible element that Florman captures and describes beautifully.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Florman, May 22, 2000

By 

Carra R Lane - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civilized Engineer (Paperback)

Samual Florman is graceful and balanced writer, as well as a very proud and sensible practicing civil engineer. All of his writing is well worth reading, especially for professional humanists wisely or foolishly spooked by technology, which is not going away, but this one gets to the heart of ancient and impending problems. Florman notes a cultural disrespect, perhaps fading by now, for his profession and looks within, especially at the standard American university engineering curriculum, rather than simply, and simple-mindedly, assigning all blame to others. What a concept! Recommended for all ages and prejudices.