The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

Samuel Florman

Synopsis

Humans have always sought to change their environment--building houses, monuments, temples, and roads. In the process, they have remade the fabric of the world into newly functional objects that are also works of art to be admired. Samuel Florman explores how engineers think and feel about their profession. A deeply insightful and refreshingly unique text, this book corrects the myth that engineering is cold and passionless. Indeed, Florman celebrates engineering not only crucial and fundamental but also vital and alive; he views it as a response to some of our deepest impulses, an endeavour rich in spiritual and sensual rewards. Opposing the "anti-technology" stance, Florman gives readers a practical, creative, and even amusing philosophy of engineering that boasts of pride in his craft. Why, asks Samuel Florman, has engineering sunk into such disfavour? Can engineers be blamed for pollution, the desecration of the landscape, a lack of taste? Samuel Florman is himself a distinguished and erudite engineer and he sets out to dispel the myth that has darkened the image of his profession, celebrating it as a vital, living force that is an essential part of human nature, rich in spiritual and sensual rewards. We are all dependent on engineers and the benefits they can provide, in opposing the fashionable 'anti-technology' stance, Florman emerges triumphantly with a creative, practical and fun philosophy of engineering that will boost his profession. Stimulating and illuminating, this book opens our eyes to the inner need to build, invent and manipulate, which only engineering can satisfy. This is essential reading for all who seek to understand their primal instincts. An eloquent, witty and perceptive celebration of our deepest creative impulses, an informative account of the modern-day engineer's experience of his/her profession.

Disponible depuis: 01/10/2014.

Science et Technologie

D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

The Future-Ready Brand - How the...

Mitch Duckler

In The Future-Ready Brand, Mitch Duckler looks to a new set of challenges facing the world’s leading brands and turns to the world’s most influential brand officers themselves to find solutions. Here he goes one-on-one with over 40 Global 1,000 CMOs to discover how they are navigating the confluence of shifting societal forces and emerging technologies that are impacting how every brand will thrive in the future.

Voir livre

The Intelligent Workforce - How...

Tim Houlne

There is a generational transformation in the workforce. But there is good news. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can help improve work processes, thus improving work experience and creating an environment that retains skilled workers.

Voir livre

First Order Logic - Fundamentals...

Fouad Sabry

What Is First Order Logic
 
First-order logic is a collection of formal systems that are utilized in the fields of mathematics, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. Other names for first-order logic include predicate logic, quantificational logic, and first-order predicate calculus. In first-order logic, quantified variables take precedence over non-logical objects, and the use of sentences that contain variables is permitted. As a result, rather than making assertions like "Socrates is a man," one can make statements of the form "there exists x such that x is Socrates and x is a man," where "there exists" is a quantifier and "x" is a variable. This is in contrast to propositional logic, which does not make use of quantifiers or relations; propositional logic serves as the basis for first-order logic in this sense.
 
How You Will Benefit
 
(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:
 
Chapter 1: First-order logic
 
Chapter 2: Axiom
 
Chapter 3: Propositional calculus
 
Chapter 4: Peano axioms
 
Chapter 5: Universal quantification
 
Chapter 6: Conjunctive normal form
 
Chapter 7: Consistency
 
Chapter 8: Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory
 
Chapter 9: Interpretation (logic)
 
Chapter 10: Quantifier rank
 
(II) Answering the public top questions about first order logic.
 
(III) Real world examples for the usage of first order logic in many fields.
 
Who This Book Is For
 
Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of first order logic.

Voir livre