Existentialism, Engineering, and Liberal Arts

Abstract

The gap between engineering and the liberal arts is so great that students, faculty, and practitioners can rarely describe the connections except in superficial terms. For the most part, engineering and the liberal arts act as two separate camps. Consequently, some of the deepest and most serious problems that our technological society faces are ignored and the ideals of both engineering and the liberal arts may be violated. Much of this failure lies in a shallow understanding of technology on both sides. By employing an existentialist approach, this paper describes technology as a human enterprise dominated by certain shared expectations. The intent is to provide a basis for more meaningful exchange between engineering and the liberal arts, an exchange that is seen as vital to both.