Previous: Technocracy
So far we have examined the history of engineering, its values, and some of the work currently being done by practicing engineers. If we compare the present state of technology with what has existed through the greater part of human history, what strikes us is that we are at a time of very rapid change. Technology is not standing still, it is going somewhere. Where?
To make any predictions about the future of engineering, we must first predict the future of society. Before attempting this, it is salutary to look at earlier attempts to foresee the future, and see how successful they've been. We'll do this in three parts: first, we'll look at the historicists: philosophers and historians who believe that there are laws governing the historical development of society. Next, we'll look at the amateur prophets: visions of the future from artists and writers in the first half of the twentieth century. Lastly, we'll examine the professional dreamers - the practitioners of the supposed science of futurology - and see how well they do. From this, we may be able to tell how much confidence we can put in our own predictions.
Previous: Technocracy
John Jones 2003-11-25