How could a professional oath for engineers
be worded?
Which requirements would it have to meet?
Ralf Liedtke, a philosopher from Bamberg, Germany,
has drafted a text and explicated the philosophical
foundation of this vocational oath which is comparable
to the Hippocratic oath of the medical profession.
Technological knowledge and behaviour are far less
rational than we commonly tend to think. A glance back
to the past can be helpful here to uncover the myths
of this profession.
The formal act of taking an oath, as such, does not
generate the competence for historical critique, let
alone a sense of social or ecological responsibility -
this is one conclusion of the analysis. What is called
for instead is (techno-)historical understanding and
transdisciplinary education.
The aim of engineers, after all, should be what
Liedtke terms "technosophy": the wisdon of TEXNH
(artistic technique/skillfulness).
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