Engineers' Responsibilities Are Far-Reaching

It is November, with the 2001 Congress bringing ASME members from all over the world to New York City, the long-time home of ASME headquarters and the site of the unprecedented attack on a center of the global economy — the World Trade Center.

At one level, the destruction of the WTC on Sept. 11 can be viewed as an attack on the United States alone, but it was more than that. It was an attack on the principles that are basic to the global economy and a global society. The individuals who planned, financed and implemented that wanton destruction used the technological and social tools of a free society against the heart of society as a whole.

As an entrepreneurial engineer who is working for a multinational company, the destruction of the WTC and the attack on the Pentagon in Washington have moved to the forefront ideas that previously only sat in the back of my mind.

All technology is double-edged. When designed and used properly, technology can make the lives of all people better.

Even technology originally developed with destruction in mind can have beneficial effects. Just look at ultrahigh-powered lasers. They were originally developed for the military and are now being used to demonstrate the feasibility of Inertially Contained Fusion as a source of electrical power.

If and when this proves to be commercially feasible, meeting the energy needs of the world will be greatly enhanced. It is not the only solution, but it may be a significant one.

The converse can occur with technology that is developed for the good of society, such as commercial aviation. Such technology can be used against society in ways that are obvious only once someone has crossed the line from benefit to destruction.

All engineers must keep this dualism in mind as we develop new products or technologies, improve or reintroduce old technologies, even decide what technologies or products to pursue. It is part of our responsibility to our profession and society.

I realize that engineers cannot do everything. We do not have the skills, knowledge or time to do everything as it relates to technology and how it is utilized by society. But, we can, and must, be aware.

When far-reaching technologies are being explored and developed, input from ethicists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, even lawyers, has the potential to guide engineers and technologists into better decisions as to what can be pursued and how it should be done.

In modern society, where the rate of change is measured in years or months instead of decades or generations, it is difficult to maintain a perspective of how society will react to new technology.

This observation is not meant to stop progress, only to be a cautionary note that the responsibilities of engineers extend beyond the obvious.

— Niel Leon
Committee on Engineering
Entrepreneurship
leonn@asme.org

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