Practical Wisdom in

Engineering Design: Part 1

There is always something to be learnt from the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by
Harper Lee.
Miss Maudies old sunhat glistened with snow crystals. She was bending over
some small bushes, wrapping them in burlap bags. Jem asked her what she was
doing that for.
Keep em warm, she said.
How can flowers keep warm? They dont circulate.
I cannot answer that question, Jem Finch. All I know is if it freezes tonight
these plantsll freeze, so you cover em up. Is that clear?
The faculty that Miss Maudie exhibited was that of practical wisdom or, as
introduced by Aristotle, phronesis. This contrasted with Jems approach, which
attempted to apply general scientific principles to specific situations
episteme. A third faculty, which relies on episteme, is that
of techne. Techne can be defined as specialized knowledge and skills applicable
to making things, or as characterized by Varsava a specialized technical
knowledge that is severed from the lived-world (Varsava, 2011).
Though each faculty has its own place in engineering
design, episteme and techne are emphasized in engineering education and
practice, while phronesis is generally neglected. This is most likely
because phronesis, which leans upon gut-instinct and a grandmotherly sort of
wisdom, represents a departure from our firmly established notions about the
process of scientific inquiry.
Scientific inquiry is typically reductionist. Reductionism is defined by the Oxford
English Dictionary as follows:

the principle of analysing complex things into simple constituents [or] the
doctrine that a system can be fully understood in terms of its isolated parts, or
an idea in terms of simple concepts.
For example, anyone who has studied chemistry at a high school level knows
that increasing the temperature of a reaction mixture increases the rate at
which the reaction product is produced. The reductive explanation (which is, in
fact, the standard explanation) for this is that, as temperature increases,
reactant molecules gain kinetic energy and move at greater velocities. These
molecules then collide more frequently and with greater energy leading to the
formation of reaction products at a faster rate. Specific relationships, such as
that between temperature and rate of reaction, are understood using general
principles of collision theory. Thus, reductionism involves a transition from
inductive to deductive reasoning. (Selam, 2011)
This reductive approach, upon which episteme and techne are based, is
subsequently carried forward to engineering design. This is where a
fundamental difference between science and engineering comes into play.
Whereas pure science involves seeking explanations for natural phenomena,
engineering (or applied science) is predominantly about deriving applications
from established scientific principles. The products of engineering design must
inevitably leave the workshop, and their utility is only realized in a much more
complex social (and environmental) framework.
No longer can pure reductionism carry the day. The mechanisms by which
society and the natural environment interact with technology are usually so
intricate that it would be epistemologically impossible to sum them up in a
handful of syllogisms or principles. The acceptance of phronesis as a valid
intellectual route to be applied in engineering design is, in fact, an acceptance
of the limits of objective human knowledge.
By this point, many readers with a background in ethics and moral philosophy
will have realized that we have forwarded a somewhat novel take on phronesis.
Part 2 of this series will elaborate upon the essential characteristics
of phronesis as introduced by Aristotle, and substantiate the interpretation put
forth in this article.
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Practical Wisdom in
Engineering Design: Part 2
Turning to Chapter VI of Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics, we will substantiate our
interpretation of phronesis (practical wisdom) presented in the previous article:
Now it is thought to be the mark of a man of practical wisdom [phronesis] to be
able to deliberate well about what is good and expedient for himself, not in
some particular respect, e.g. about what sorts of thing conduce to health or to
strength, but about what sorts of thing conduce to the good life in generalIt
follows that in the general sense also the man who is capable of deliberating
has practical wisdom [phronesis]since scientific knowledge [episteme]
involves demonstration, but there is no demonstration of things whose first
principles are variable (for all such things might actually be otherwise), and
since it is impossible to deliberate about things that are of necessity, practical
wisdom cannot be scientific knowledge nor art [techne]not art [techne]
because action and making are different kinds of thing
Aristotle emphasizes an individuals ability to deliberate well about what is
good and expedient for himself despite the fact that the first principles upon
which his decision is based are variable. This is the essence of phronesis.
It is generally assumed that phronesis is employed directly in making ethical
decisions. This makes sense because the moral values (first principles) which
support ethical decision making are considered variable and subject to
change. This follows from the importance given by the Platonic-Socratic
philosophical tradition to argumentation, dialogue, and critical thinking when
discussing moral values and virtue.
However, it is my belief that the faculty of phronesis can be applied much more
generally and is relevant to any context where decisions which have a direct
bearing on social welfare must be made despite the possession of less than
complete knowledge when such decisions must be based on a noetic sort of

wisdom an acute sense of what works removed from our modern notions of
scientific rationale.
This generalization, of which ethical decision-making is a specific case, is
compatible with Aristotles description in Nicomachean Ethics because it retains
the essence of phronesis the ability to deliberate about what sorts of thing
conduce to the good life in general despite variable (indeterminate) first
principles. In the specific case of decision-making in engineering design, as
discussed in the previous article, variable first principles arise due to the innate
impracticality of objectively tracing out the interaction between engineering
design features and the social/environmental context in which they function.
In the next article in this series, we will get a chance to see phronesis in action.
The abstract ideas conveyed so far will be tied in with engineering ethics
through the analysis of historical examples which show how
neglecting phronesis in engineering design can reduce overall social welfare.
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Practical Wisdom in
Engineering Design: Part 3
Up until now, we have both defined and, using abstract arguments, established
the case for phronesis (practical wisdom). It would now be pertinent to flesh out
these arguments with the help of historical examples which, in concrete terms,
exhibit the importance ofphronesis to engineering design.

As a warm-up example, let us first take the case of the Loriana stove. The
Loriana stove was designed for use in the mountainous regions of Guatemala.
Its consumption of fuel wood was twice as efficient as that of the typical peasant
stoves used by Guatemalan Indians. However, the Loriana stove gives off less
heat than the traditional Indian method of cooking. Even though this is
connected with its greater efficiency, it has a disadvantage. The main heating
source of Indian housing is the stove. Use of the Loriana stove by Indians in the

mountains regions of Guatemala means their homes are cold. (A plow for
Mexican peasant farmers)
This very aptly demonstrates the loss in social welfare brought about by
neglectingphronesis in engineering design. The engineers who designed the
Loriana stove concentrated their efforts on applying scientific principles
(episteme) to design the most efficient stove possible (techne). In doing so,
they overlooked the human context in which the stove would
function. Phronesis would have dictated that a greater understanding of the
ways in which Indians use their household stoves be acquired before suggesting
significant changes to stove design, given that the current design had already
been in use for a number of generations.
Our second example is based on the novel Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, which
thematically narrates the human factors leading to the desertification and
degradation of the Mongolian Grassland. Its plot based on the authors actual
experiences is set in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (IMAR) of China
during the countrys Cultural Revolution (1966-76). A group of Han Chinese
university students, including the novels protagonist Chen Zhen, travel to the
Inner Mongolian grassland to be educated in the ways of the simple, not to
mention notionally exemplary, country life (Varsava, 2011).
Chen and his peers learn that the grassland, in its most pristine state, is
sustained by a balanced, multidimensional interdependence between the
organisms inhabiting it. Human beings can sustainably derive benefit from the
grassland provided their activities do not disrupt this balance. Perceptiveness of
the complex equilibrium which dominates the grassland and the limits it
imposes upon human activity can be said to constitute practical wisdom.
The novel exhibits a profound clash between techne and phronesis. On one
hand are the age-old phronetic values of the Mongolian nomads, as conveyed
through the character Bilgee, a tribal elder whose teachings shape much of
Chens experience. He explains:

Out here, the grass and the grassland are the life, the big life. All else is little
life that depends on the big life for survival. Even wolves and humans are little
life. Creatures that eat grass are worse than creatures who eat meatGrass is
the big life, yet it is the most fragile, the most miserable life. Its roots are
shallow, the soil is thin, and though it lives on the ground, it cannot run away.
Anyone can step on it, eat it, chew it, crush itFor us Mongols, theres nothing
more deserving of pity than grass.
Based on these principles, the Mongols refrained from over-hunting the
Mongolian wolf because of its role in controlling the gazelle and marmot
populations, which in turn preempted over-grazing. This conflicted with the
techne inspired drive towards agricultural collectivism imposed by the Chinese
Government a mindless campaign for the expansion of food production,
disregarding the ecology of the grassland as a whole. Wolves, which were a
threat to agricultural livestock, were wiped out by the new generation of
farmers. The resulting rise in the population of grass-eating animals eventually
led to the desertification of large portions of the grassland.

Practical Wisdom in
Engineering Design:
Conclusion
It can be concluded that, for most engineering design problems, successful
execution of the design is inseparable from its consequences in a sociological and
environmental context. As engineers, we must constantly remind ourselves that the
concepts involved in our design are far less significant in scope and complexity than
the human (and environmental) contexts to which we are introducing them.
Therefore, we must take heed of the multidimensionality of these contexts, resisting
the tendency to reduce them until they fit the parameters of our design.