Engineering and Philosophy

In todays society are more respected than philosophers for obvious reasons. Engineers impact and influence is direct and straight to the point, they built the world around us. They're responsible for how things have developed and the technologies we got. On the other hand, most people believe that philosophy is just about random thought-provoking exercises;

We're seeing a slow down in innovation and disruptive ideas compared to previous decades. Researchers have observed a decline in the number of highly impactful scientific papers and patents. This trend is often attributed to factors such as academic "ultra-specialization," the pressure to publish frequently, and the pursuit of incremental rather than revolutionary advancements (Phys.org) (Nature). (We'll talk more about this, not my main point)

Amidst this ultra-specialization we're looking at individuals that hyper fixate on one thing and missing the bigger picture at times.

A story by a business man that highlights the importance of Philosophy when it comes to innovation and creating ideas and businesses.

"I remember myself in the early 2000s, designing from scratch a very innovative—later patented—vehicle chassis dynamometer for an important motorcycle OEM: I was so concentrated on making sure that the client's RFQ specs were met, the manufacturing drawings had all the proper geometric and dimensional tolerances, and the assembling instructions were accurate, that I missed the opportunity of using a different motor and encoder which would have extended the application portfolio. Luckily, in one of the last project meetings the owner of the company (a bright engineer with business acumen) noticed the chance so I made the necessary changes, and learned once again how these missed competitive edges made early on can be tough to correct after they are made. And here is exactly where the idea of a visionary leader, the "philosopher," comes into play: someone who is interested in people (the client), trusts in technology (at the basis of the product), and sees the big picture (the visionary future)."

Philosophers excel in abstract thinking and questioning foundational principles, offering broader perspectives on purpose and meaning, which can lead to more holistic solutions. While engineers focus on practical application and problem-solving, philosophers can challenge the underlying assumptions and ethical implications behind those solutions. I used to obsess over the technologies that I needed to build something forgetting that its always the solution itself. YES! The technologies do matter to an extent but not to the point where you overfixate on which tech that you forego the entire thing and what made it unique from the start

Maybe its time, to dive into some Philosophy and see how it can implemented on your technical area of focus