Interdisciplinary and Social Nature of Engineering Practices: Philosophy, Examples and Approaches (Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, 61)

This book covers practical and philosophical aspects of Engineering, paying special attention to the social impacts of emerging technologies. Some fundamentals of philosophy of technology are introduced followed by social, economic, and environmental discussion and implications in different disciplines. Each chapter provides insights on the responsibilities involved in the design of engineering projects. The examples presented combine concepts about the impacts of Engineering in society at the same time that incorporates new technological models, yielding an innovative approach about the topics. Foreword—A Message of Hope Preface Contents Editors and Contributors Theoretical Considerations Introduction 1 Introduction 2 Engineering and Technology 3 Philosophy and Philosophy of Technology 4 The Moral Status and the Non-neutrality of Engineering and Technology 5 The Economic and Political Aspects of Engineering and Technology 6 The Dangers of Socially Controlled Engineering and Technology 7 Holistic Engineering and Technology 8 The Social Implications of Engineering and Technology Practice 9 Book Organization 10 Conclusions 11 Annex References Engineering Practices: Complexity—Diversity—Coherence—Meaningfulness 1 Introduction 2 The Complexity of Engineering Practices in Their Real-World Context 3 Gaining a Handle on Complexity 3.1 The Meaningful Reality of Engineering Practices 3.2 Diversity: Fifteen Spheres of Meaningfulness 3.3 Possibilities of Good 3.4 Coherence: Inter-aspect Relationships 3.5 Things; Types of Engineering 4 Engineering in an Ocean of Meaningfulness 4.1 What is Meaningful About Engineering as Such? 4.2 What are the Meaningful Activities and Issues Within Engineering Practice? 5 Conclusion References Key Concepts for Frameworks: Values, Aspects Normativity and Enkaptic Structures 1 Introduction 2 The World of the Engineer 3 Key Distinctions: Aspects, Wholes and Enkaptic Structures Infrastructure 3.1 Aspects or Dimensions 3.2 Wholes or Entities 3.3 Enkaptic Structures or Networks 3.4 Different Normativities 3.5 Systems Engineering and Engineering Systems 3.6 Complexity in Normativity 4 Aspects or Dimensions 5 Wholes or Entities 6 Enkaptic Structures or Networks 7 Summary and Conclusions References Toward a Holistic Normative Design 1 Introduction 2 Architectures of Reference 3 Engineering Systems and System Engineering 4 Holistic Normative Engineering—Modal Aspects 5 Holistic Normative Engineering of Infrastructures—The Analysis of Wholes: Societal Actors, Technological Systems, and Normativity 6 Holistic Normative Engineering of Smart Grids: Enkaptic Structures 7 How to Guide the Development of Infrastructures 8 Serviceable Insight 9 Holistic Design 10 The Soft Connection Between Technology and Poetry 11 Conclusion References Applications The Engineer in the Face of Social Changes: The Cases of Health and Sustainability at Work 1 Introduction 2 What Can the Engineer Do in the Face of This Situation? 3 How Did We Get to This Point? 4 The Specificities of the Work of the Engineer 4.1 The Engineer’s Ability to Relate to Other People 4.2 Social Aspects Considered as Part of Decision Criteria 4.3 Position of the Engineer Regarding Work and Society 5 Work, Health and Illness 5.1 Work and Subjectivity 5.2 The Role of the Engineer 6 The Engineer in the Context of Sustainable Development and Corporate Interests 6.1 The Work of the Engineer in the Current Economic Paradigm 6.2 The Work of the Engineer Facing a New Economic Paradigm Induced by the Issue of Sustainability 7 Conclusion References Industrial Innovation Practices Breakthrough by Process Intensification 1 Introduction 2 Building Blocks and Function Design 3 The Eastman Case 4 Industrial Innovation Practices 4.1 What is a Practice? 4.2 Different Types of Practices 4.3 Industrial Innovation Practices 4.4 Soft Aspects of Innovation Practices 4.5 Industrial Innovation Practices at Eastman 5 Triple I Model 5.1 Intrinsic Values, Interests of Stakeholders, and Ideals and Basic Beliefs 5.2 Understanding the Eastman Case 6 Sustainable Development Goals 7 Conclusion References Sustainability and the Responsibility of Engineers 1 Introduction 1.1 General Aspects of Sustainability in Society and the Role of Universities in Engineering Education 1.2 Sustainability as a Value, Renewable Generation and Its Sustainable Effects 1.3 Sustainable Habits in Society and the Effects in Garbage Generation 1.4 Access to Energy and Its Implications: Energy Poverty 1.5 Acceptance and Opposition to Renewable Energies 2 Conclusion References Economics, Regulatory Aspects, and Public Policies 1 Introduction 2 Main Goal: Optimization of the Socioeconomic Welfare Produced by the Electricity Sector 3 Regulated Electricity Economic Market Model 3.1 Consumer's Model 3.2 Power Distribution Company's Model 3.3 Overall Socioeconomic Model 4 Fair Electricity Tariff Through Regulation with Asymmetric Information and Stochastic Variables 5 Business, Customer, Government, Environmental Sustainability—Balancing Interests, Returns and Risks 5.1 Risk–Return Methodology 5.2 Electricity Company Model in a Regulated Scenario 5.3 Application of a Regulated Electricity Company Model 5.4 Application of Risk and Return Theory for Project Evaluation in the Regulated Company 6 Politics and the Role of Public Policies for Balanced Development 6.1 Formulation of Public Policies 6.2 Public Policies to Encourage Micro- and Mini-Generation in Brazil 6.3 Evaluation of Public Policies Through the Economic Model of the Electric Market 7 Democracy and Strategies to Minimize Energy Poverty 7.1 The Distribution Company, Prosumers, and Low-Income Consumers 7.2 The Measure of Inequality: Gini Index 7.3 Impacts of Social Benefit on Consumer Behavior 8 Non-technical Losses, Cultural, Economics, and Governance Issues 8.1 Characterization of Energy Theft 8.2 Actors Involved 8.3 The Decision to Steal Electricity 8.4 Impacts on Society 9 Conclusions References Statistics and Engineering 1 Introduction 1.1 Decision in the Presence of Variability 1.2 Statistics and Concepts 1.3 Statistical Engineering 2 Cause and Effect 3 Final Thoughts References Technologies Smart Telecommunications: The Catalyst of a Social Revolution 1 Introduction 2 Principles of Telecommunication Technologies 2.1 Brief Historical Overview of Telecommunications 2.2 Transmitting and Receiving Signals 2.3 Analog and Digital Communication 2.4 Differences Between Communication Channels 3 Role of Telecommunications in Engineering Systems 3.1 Communication and Communication Protocols 3.2 Local Area Networks and Wide Area Networks 3.3 Electric Power Systems and Smart Grids 4 Computer Networks and Social Networks 4.1 Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of ICTs 4.2 Distance Education 4.3 Virtual Reality 5 Conclusion References Analytical Optimization Applied to Social Aspects and Public Policies 1 Introduction 1.1 Mathematical Optimization 2 Optimization Basics 2.1 Unconstrained Optimization Basics 2.2 Constrained Optimization—Part 1: Equality Constraints 2.3 Constrained Optimization—Part 2: Inequality Constraints 2.4 Duality 3 Optimization Applications on Public Services and Policy 3.1 Social Statistics 3.2 Efficiency Analysis 3.3 Classification and Prediction 4 Remarks 5 Appendix—Brief Introduction to Numerical Optimization Methods 5.1 Gradient Direction 5.2 Gradient Direction for Constrained Optimization Problems 5.3 Logarithm Barrier Approach References The Socio-Economic Implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Brazilian Electric Sector Analysis 1 Introduction 2 Pandemic Evolution 3 Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Brazilian Electricity Sector 3.1 Energy Consumption 3.2 Marginal Cost of Operation 3.3 Brazil Energy Market 4 A Comparative Study: Brazil and Italy Electricity Consumption 5 General Implications for the Electricity Sector During and Post-Pandemic 6 Conclusion References The Need of Normative Technologies for Smart Living Cities 1 Introduction 1.1 Systems Engineering, Engineering, and Design Criteria 1.2 Definition of Critical Infrastructures 2 Life Sustaining and Critical Infrastructures 2.1 Communication Systems 2.2 Energy 2.3 Food 2.4 Health Care 2.5 Public Safety 2.6 Transportation Systems 2.7 Waste Management 2.8 Water 3 Smart Cities 3.1 Framework of Smart Cities 3.2 Integration of Infrastructures 3.3 The Role of Innovative Technologies 4 Economic Accessibility of Each Technology 5 Social Impacts 5.1 Smart City Governance 5.2 End User Engagement and Connection 5.3 Privacy Versus Safety 6 Smart Living: An Integrated Perspective 7 Conclusions References Case Studies Social and Economic Implications of Electricity Generation Sources 1 Introduction 2 The Brazilian Power Sector Planning 3 Energy Auctions: The Case of Renewable Electricity Sources 4 Environmental Studies in Brazil 4.1 Hydroelectric Hydrographic Basin Inventory 4.2 Integrated Environmental Assessment (Avaliação Ambiental Integrada—AAI) 4.3 Feasibility Studies 5 Social and Economic Implications of Hydroelectric Power Projects in Brazil 5.1 The First Research 5.2 The Second Research 6 Social and Economic Implications of Wind Power Projects in Brazil 7 Sustainability of Electricity Generation Sources 7.1 Background 7.2 Methodological Framework 7.3 Research Results 8 Concluding Remarks References Amazon Region Power Plants and Social Impacts 1 Introduction 2 The Integration of the Brazilian Electricity Sector 3 The Studies that Supported the Construction of Hydropower Plants in the Amazon 4 Cautions with the Construction Stage 5 Social Issues 6 Final Considerations References Scalability and Normativity—System Requirement Definition Based on Social and Philosophical Consideration 1 Introduction 2 Normativity 2.1 Systems Development and Its Normativity Influence in the Social Spheres 2.2 Technical, Moral, and Ethics Concepts 2.3 Engineering and Social Behavior 3 Considerations Regarding Scalability 3.1 Social Scenario 3.2 The Exploitation of Systems and Social Promotion 3.3 Rethinking and Innovation, Impacts on Sustainability and Their Connections to Scalability 4 Conclusion References The Interdisciplinary Nature of Engineering Education and Practice 1 Introduction 1.1 Definitions of Multidisciplinarity and Interdisciplinarity 1.2 The Multidisciplinary Nature of Engineering Knowledge 2 The Need for an Interdisciplinary Approach for Engineering Education 2.1 Definitions for Engineering System and Systems Engineering 2.2 The Role of Interdisciplinarity in the System Engineering Process 2.3 The Link Between All the Processes 2.4 Philosophical Tools to Assist Complex Designs 3 Impact of Education in the Engineering Design 3.1 Quality of the Curriculum: An Interdisciplinary Challenge 3.2 Curriculum Evaluation from ABET Perspective 3.3 International Surveys 3.4 How to Overcome These Difficulties: A Philosophical Guide 3.5 Two Ethical Programs in the Berkeley-Delft Universities 3.6 Education Improving Engineering Design: A Competitive Advantage 3.7 Academics Approach for the Design (MIT) 4 Smart Cities: An Example of the Interdisciplinary Engineering 5 Philosophy of Innovation: The Fuel for Interdisciplinarity 6 Interdisciplinary Engineering Education: A Brazilian Case Study 7 Conclusions References A Multi-aspect Dynamic System Model to Assess Poverty Traps 1 Introduction 1.1 A Discussion on Social Modeling 2 The Wonderland Model 3 Structure and Theory of Poverty Traps 3.1 Demographic Trap 3.2 Savings Trap 3.3 Intergenerational Traps 4 Overview of the Dynamic System Model 4.1 Economy 4.2 Demography 4.3 Environment 4.4 Education 4.5 Public Health 4.6 Public Safety 4.7 Economic and Environmental Disturbances 4.8 State-Space Representation 5 Development Scenarios and Simulation Framework 5.1 The Basic Model Scenarios 5.2 Expected Model Limitations 6 Results and Discussion 6.1 Case Study 6.2 Model Deployment 7 Conclusion References Microgrid Operation and the Social Impact of Its Deployment 1 Introduction 2 Social Aspects and Impacts of Microgrids 2.1 Microgrids in Rural Areas 2.2 Microgrids in Industrialized Areas 3 Final Considerations References Epilog—Final Considerations