Abstract
ON March 28, Sir Harry Railing, president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, delivered an address to the London Students' Section of the Institution, taking as his subject the social implications of engineering. Sir Harry stressed that it is essential for the engineer to grasp the inner meaning of his work and the mission he has to fulfil in his everyday life. To do this, a full appreciation of past achievements is necessary, and he must feel that, however small or large his contribution, he is a vital unit in a powerful living force. Material progress has been so remarkable that too little attention has been paid to the development of the lives of human beings. Humanity should have been trained and encouraged to accommodate itself to the increased impetus of science and engineering, so as to avoid a disastrous piling up of pent-up energy. Engineers should have foreseen these consequences more clearly and made the world realize that increasing material knowledge necessitates the acceptance of new responsibilities both on the part of the individual, the community and the State.
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Social Implications of Engineering. Nature 155, 449 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155449c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155449c0