Engineers and the Evolution of Society

Abstract

The application of technology has an increasing influence on the evolution of society, and as engineers are the principal players in the development and application of technology, it follows that engineers have a responsibility to provide unique and important input into the societal discussion about the direction in which society evolves. To understand this responsibility, it is necessary to place it in the context of a particular view of how society evolves, and also to understand the environment in which engineers work and the role of industry in influencing the means available to engineers for communicating with society. It is argued that the responsibility is essentially to provide society with the technical information required to make informed decisions about the application of technology.