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This book highlights the unique need for philosophy among engineers, which stems from issues regarding their knowledge (epistemology), role or being (ontology) and influence (ethics). It discusses practice, context, ethics, models and failure as key aspects of engineering, and provides an easy but essential introduction to philosophy for engineers by presenting four key philosophers and linking them to these aspects: Karl Popper (failure), Thomas Kuhn (models), Michael Polanyi (practice & ethics) and Martin Heidegger (context & ethics). Popper, Kuhn and Polanyi are philosophers of science (epistemologists) who have challenged the view that science is a ‘cool, detached’ discipline, since ...
Bridges are remarkable structures. Often vast, immense, and sometimes beautiful, they can be icons of cities. David Blockley explains how to read a bridge, how they stand up, and how engineers design them to be so strong. He examines the engineering problems posed by bridges, and considers their cultural, aesthetic, and historical importance.
This book takes a systematic approach to problem definition, generation of alternative solutions, analysis, and selection of the preferred solution. The book introduces fundamental terms needed to think systematically and undertake systematic problem solving and covers individual and group problem solving. It discusses the selection of the preferred solution involves decision making and fundamental concepts of decision making, including decision making in the presence of multiple criteria and uncertainty. The treatment embodies decision making for sustainability, with its blend of economics, social, and environmental considerations.
The popular phrase, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” assumes all miracle claims have failed. If so, why waste time exploring the evidence for Jesus’s resurrection? Nick Meader applies his background in statistics and psychology to explore Carl Sagan’s catchy phrase. Should we assume that the laws of nature are all there is? Is Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection consistent with expectations of the promised Messiah? Setting aside these questions can often leave us talking past each other. Considering these questions helps us make sense of the evidence for Jesus’s resurrection. In these pages you’ll find: •a Bayesian argument for Jesus’s resurrection; •a multidisciplinary approach applying insights from biblical theology, psychology, philosophy, statistics, and religious studies; •a cutting-edge evaluation of psychological explanations for the evidence; •a novel argument for the existence of God.
This book gives insight into the ongoing work of the forum on Philosophy, Engineering and Technology (fPET), which brings together philosophers and engineers from all over the world to discuss philosophical issues of engineering across disciplinary boundaries. Drawing on presentations and conversations at the fPET 2020 online conference hosted by the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile, the chapters establish connections and describe discoveries that have so far been neglected in the discussions held within the young discipline of philosophy of engineering. This volume appeals to students and researchers in the field, through twenty-four proposals brought forward by leading s...
This volume presents eighteen case studies of natural disasters from Australia, Europe, North America and developing countries. By comparing the impacts, it seeks to identify what moves people to adapt, which adaptive activities succeed and which fail, and the underlying reasons, and the factors that determine when adaptation is required and when simply bearing the impact may be the more appropriate response. Much has been written about the theory of adaptation and high-level, especially international, policy responses to climate change. This book aims to inform actual adaptation practice - what works, what does not, and why. It explores some of the lessons we can learn from past disasters and the adaptation that takes place after the event in preparation for the next. This volume will be especially useful for researchers and decision makers in policy and government concerned with climate change adaptation, emergency management, disaster risk reduction, environmental policy and planning.
Building on the breakthrough text Philosophy and Engineering: An Emerging Agenda, this book offers 30 chapters covering conceptual and substantive developments in the philosophy of engineering, along with a series of critical reflections by engineering practitioners. The volume demonstrates how reflective engineering can contribute to a better understanding of engineering identity and explores how integrating engineering and philosophy could lead to innovation in engineering methods, design and education. The volume is divided into reflections on practice, principles and process, each of which challenges prevalent assumptions and commitments within engineering and philosophy. The volume expl...
This book gathers papers presented at the 22nd International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2019), which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 25 to 27 September 2019. Covering various fields of interactive and collaborative learning, new learning models and applications, research in engineering pedagogy and project-based learning, the contributions focus on innovative ways in which higher education can respond to the real-world challenges related to the current transformation in the development of education. Since it was established, in 1998, the ICL conference has been devoted to new approaches in learning with a focus on collaborative learning. Today, it is a forum for sharing trends and research findings as well as presenting practical experiences in learning and engineering pedagogy. The book appeals to policymakers, academics, educators, researchers in pedagogy and learning theory, school teachers, and other professionals in the learning industry, and further and continuing education.
We have an imperative, as never before, to change our ways. Climate change is presenting the entire human race with its greatest ever existential challenge. Like many I feel a growing sense of looming disaster. Yes, we are making some progress, but past agreements are not delivering. In this book I put a case for a new form of principled capitalism based on moral principles rather than utility and profit. I propose ten pillars that include systems thinking as citizens of the world and embracing Modern Monetary theory to guide decisions about macroeconomics and national debt.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami, which devastated 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s coastline and killed an estimated 35,000 people, was remarkable both for the magnitude of the disaster and for the unprecedented scale of the relief and recovery operations mounted by national and international agencies. The reconstruction process was soon hampered by political patronage, by the competing efforts of hundreds of foreign humanitarian organizations, and by the ongoing civil war. The book is framed within this larger political and social context, offering descriptions and comparisons between two regions (southwest vs. eastern coast) and four ethnic communities (Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers) to ill...