Engineering and the Mind's Eye

by Eugene S. Ferguson

Book Overview

In this insightful and incisive essay, Eugene Ferguson demonstrates that good engineering is as much a matter of intuition and nonverbal thinking as of equations and computation. He argues that a system of engineering education that ignores nonverbal thinking will produce engineers who are dangerously ignorant of the many ways in which the real world differs from the mathematical models constructed in academic minds.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 026256078X
• ISBN13: 9780262560788
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.3" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

How to put Design and Experience back into Engineering

This book should be required reading for all engineers. It reviews how the art, practical and design type courses were taken out of the engineering schools in the 1950's and how those schools are now correcting the situation.The author reviews the importance of practical experience and the ability to sketch... particularly for chief engineers.Most impressive and perhaps most important was the panoramic history of engineering, design and creativity. The book has beautiful pictures and an extensive bibliography.I found interesting that Leonardo's notebooks were only part of the many notebooks prepared during the Renaissance. And, that many of them copied drawings of earlier works. Lots of pictures of these notebooks are included, along with pictures of the extensive use of models (mostly fortifications) used at this time... and all the way up to WWII.The author discusses how CAD systems really help on the productivity but include so many limiting asssumptions that they may stifle creativity. Particularly bad from the author's point of view is the over reliance on math. He points out that most engineering problems are messy, and not amenable to a clean mathematical solution. And, that we have all these younger engineers looking only for clean problems so they can put their math training to work. Unfortunately, nature is not so co-operative.His solution: more drawing and more practical experience. For example, budding engineers should get out into the field and go see the problem, or visit other plants. They should build prototypes and learn how to operate a lathe. In this regard he likes Dutch and German engineering schools best.This is a great book that any engineer should add to his permanent collection.John DunbarSugar Land, TX

Thought Provoking

A short, nicely written book. A must read for those with an interest in history of technology, engineering or education. Time well spent for almost any intellegent reader. A lot of "bang for your buck" with this one!

As Uncle Albert once said, "IMAGINATION....

...is more important than knowledge." This fine book examines the deep roots of this simple and wise truth. The author takes us on a journey of discovery within our [engineering] profession and shows us where we originated from, and [unfortunately] where we are headed. The author has the courage to come out and say what many, if not most, in the field of engineering would like to say, but for one reason or another have not: Academia is producing more and more clinical analysts, and less and less true engineers. He examines and clarifies the difference between the two and goes on to explain how we have arrived at this strange place so far away from the road that we should be on. He further offers some of, but certainly not all, the solutions for getting ourselves back on track as a profession.I found this book to be wonderfully entertaining and incredibly insightful about the field(s) of engineering and how we think, communicate, advance in our profession(s). Being a graduating senior in a dying breed of EEETs at Montana State University, I have generally found the author profoundly on the mark, and recommend this book for everyone even associated with the field of engineering and most especially, the educators!

Great Book for Engineering Students

This book is great for students who are thinking of persuing a course in engineering. Ferguson adresses what makes a great engineer, and also states that many schools do not stress the courses they should. Using this book, students gain insight as to what they should expect from being an engineer, and what is imporant in the profession. I definately recommend this book to those who are about to be college freshman engineers or are thinking of changing over from liberal arts & sciences to engineering.

The difference between competent, and good engineers is...

...having a talent for it. One can receive a fine engineering education, but it's more important to have an inborn understanding for visualizing the physical and chemical systems that underlie everything. This book gives excellent examples of the two schools of engineering. I recommend it to all current and prospective engineers, with gusto!