Other Engineering Commons^™

Engineering Science As Opposed To Natural Science, Eugene Coyle, Mike Murphy, William Grimson

Books/Book chapters

In exploring the epistemology of engineering science, we propose a model of engineering. This model incorporates the goals of engineering, the approach to engineering (also called the engineering method) and the role of experience in engineering. The basis for understanding the nature of engineering science will be explored, and will be contrasted with natural science. To begin, a large-scale engineering project that was successfully completed in Ireland many years ago is discussed - specifically, the development of a megalithic passage tomb as an exemplar of the engineering method in structural design, project management and aesthetics. This exemplar firmly demonstrates that …