Re: Engineering / Arts

Richard Sullivan (richsul@roadrunner.com)
Sat, 08 Nov 1997 09:23:44 -0700

At 02:22 AM 11/8/97 -0500, you wrote:
><< The flip side is that engineering is art. Any engineers disagree?
>
>I completely agree. When I worked as a software engineer, I look at my
>software design as a piece of beautiful artwork. When I worked as electrical
>engineer, I did my design (and at times also PCB layout) as works of art. It
>is a joy to have a combination of art and engineering.
>

A number of years ago, Daniel Florman (Floreman?) wrote a very influential
book called "The Existential Pleasures of Engineering." Probably in the
late 70's, but it is still in print, and is a classic in the field. One of
his main arguments is that engineering is a highly creative field to work
in and is much less confining to the creative psyche than the hard
sciences. Ok, one can argue this point, but the point is that his side is
rarely heard.

Dick Sullivan
Bostick & Sullivan
PO Box 16639, Santa Fe
NM 87506
505-474-0890 FAX 505-474-2857
http://www.bostick-sullivan.com