The Missing Half
Engineers are trained to build things that work. That's necessary, but not sufficient.
Technology determines what we can do. The humanities determine what we should do. Without the second question, the first answer is dangerous.
What Literature Teaches an Engineer
Reading fiction is not a break from engineering. It's training in:
- Perspective-taking. Understanding how different people experience the same system.
- Ambiguity tolerance. Not every problem has a clean algorithmic solution.
- Moral imagination. Envisioning the downstream consequences of technical choices.
These are not soft skills. They are the difference between building a tool and building a weapon.
The Historical Pattern
Every major technology — the printing press, the steam engine, the internet — reshaped society in ways its inventors did not fully anticipate. The ones who got closest to understanding the implications were not the pure engineers. They were the people who read widely and thought deeply about human nature.
A Personal Resolution
I study engineering. But I read philosophy, history, and literature. Not as a hobby — as a core part of being a responsible builder.
The future needs technologists who can think beyond technology.