Aristotle's Definition Of Engineering

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Engineering is filled with difficult decisions and complicated problems. The virtues of an engineer are what guide their choices and provide the foundation of their problem solving. This paper will first discuss Aristotle’s definition of virtues and how they shape one’s life. Then I will share some virtues I have acquired while at Texas A&M, additional virtues that are instrumental in professional engineering, and dispositions that will keep an engineer successful and attuned to the surrounding professional climate. Aristotle structures his theory of virtues around 3 main points; eudaimonia, arête, and telos. First, eudaimonia is loosely translated to “happiness”, but has a deeper meaning of living the good life and is the highest good humans …show more content…

This is also closely related to one’s telos, or life goal. Aristotle argued that walking a path towards one’s telos was the way to achieve eudaimonia. Along this path a person should take virtuous actions and strive for excellence (arête) to make the journey successful. This conveys Aristotle’s strong view that activity and action are both required for and are an integral part of eudaimonia.
Aristotle also differentiated between virtues of thought and character. Virtues of thought are cultivated mostly though teaching and studying. An example of thought virtues would be intelligence or comprehension. Virtues of character on the other hand are virtues refined and practiced though habitual daily actions. An example of this kind of virtue would be generosity or moderation. Aristotle’s definition of character virtues further reinforces his believe that a good life is one of action since these virtues are brought about through repetitive …show more content…

This commitment will ensure that the job is done properly from beginning to end with no steps left out. A committed engineer will also quickly be noticed by those he or she serves and will result in promotion or recurring customers. In addition to this, an engineer should be creative in their work. Many think creativity is only useful in the realm of art and expressionism, but is the source of many innovative ideas and improvements on existing designs. This creativity can also merge art and engineering into a truly masterful design. Understanding the problem and finding unique avenues to solve it makes for a very desirable engineer. Aristotle felt very strongly that it was unvirtuous to squander one’s potential talent and argued that a person must cultivate depositions to keep them on the right path. These depositions must be continually fostered and become a driving force in one’s life. I believe that curiosity is a deposition that is integral to engineering. Continual learning is a core value of engineering to both improve as an engineer and to keep up with the evolving technology. This commitment to learning feeds the sense of curiosity that is originally present in

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