The 4 Dimensions of Engineering

In the discussion of engineering knowledge it is helpful to think of  engineering  as  comprising  four  major  dimensions  the  dimensions  of the  basic sciences,  of  the  social sciences, of design,  and of  practical  accomplishment.  This lets  us  think of the  engineer  as  a  professional  who  combines,  in  variable proportions, the qualities of a scientist, a sociologist, a designer, and a doer.

The dimension inspired by the basic sciences views engineering as the application of the natural and exact sciences, stressing the values of logics and rigour, and seeing knowledge  as  produced through analysis and  experimentation. Research is the preferred modus operandi  of this dimension,  where  the discovery  of first principles is seen as the activity leading to higher recognition.

The  social  dimension of engineering  sees engineers  not  just  as technologists,  but  also  as  social  experts,  in  their  ability  to recognize the eminently social nature of the world they act upon and  the  social  complexity  of  the  teams  they  belong  to.  The creation  of  social  and  economic  value  and  the  belief  in  the satisfaction  of  end  users  emerge  as  central  values  in  this dimension of engineering.

The  design  dimension sees  engineering  as  the  art of  design. It values systems thinking much more than the analytical thinking that characterizes  traditional science. Its practice  is founded  on holistic,  contextual,  and  integrated  visions  of the  world, rather than on partial visions. Typical values of this dimension include exploring  alternatives  and  compromising.  In  this  dimension, which resorts frequently to non-scientific forms of thinking, the key  decisions  are  often  based  on  incomplete  knowledge  and intuition, as well as on personal and collective experiences. 

The fourth  mode  views  engineering as the art of getting things done,  valuing  the  ability to  change  the world  and  overcoming complexity  with  flexibility and perseverance.  It  corresponds  to the  art  of  the  homo  faber,  in its  purest  expression,  and  to the ability to tuck up one’s sleeves and get down to the nitty-gritty. In  this  dimension,  the  completed  job,  which stands  before the world, leads to higher recognition.