The philosophy of engineering: a critical summary.

Over the past decade or so, a new form of engineering thinking has begun to emerge called the 'philosophy of engineering'. As yet, very few civil engineers are aware of this growing field, but it could have important implications and benefits for them. This paper provides a brief, critical review of the philosophy of engineering, analysing relevant literature to highlight major arguments and looking where it might develop. The paper also describes a rift in the field and uses this to argue that the philosophy of engineering is relevant to all engineers and their status in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]