To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design

By Henry Petroski

Product Details
*Amazon Sales Rank: #101647 in Books
*Published on: 1992-03-31
*Released on: 1992-03-31
*Original language: English
*Number of items: 1
*Binding: Paperback
*272 pages

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review

The moral of this book is that behind every great engineering success is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular) engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best known examples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action -- the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you've probably seen tossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage), the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways -- and many lesser known but equally informative examples. The line of reasoning Petroski develops in this book were later formalized into his quasi-Darwinian model of technological evolution in The Evolution of Useful Things, but this book is arguably the more illuminating -- and defintely the more enjoyable -- of these two titles. Highly recommended.
Review

Reading Petroski's fine book is not only a delight, it is a necessity -- Houston Chronicle

Customer Reviews
Being Human

To Engineer is Human To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Designis a wonderful read, for all the reasons in other reviews posted here (and elsewhere I'm sure) and more. DISCLAIMER: I am not an engineer, nor do I play one on television or YouTube. I picked up this book because of its subtitle "the role of failure in successful design." What could I learn from another discipline's perspective on successes and failures in creating a product? I think if readers come at Petroski's work from this angle (and many have, do, and will) the self-reflective dissection of why things don't work, go wrong, or prove fatal is a necessary skill and habit for anyone walking among the rest of the human population (as well as our animal and environmental cohabitants). Whether it is labeled critical thinking or something else (self-improvement in reverse perhaps), this is a good introduction to "being human" - the first chapter. One of the major lessons either in school or in life is to learn from our missteps, mistakes, and misadventures. Easier said than done. Aside from the medical or nuclear professions perhaps the many facets of engineering is equally important. For instance, I came away learning from Petroski a little bit more about walkways, railroad bridges, and other things that occasionally fall down - and why, and the things around us that do not (and why). The lesson, as every student of history (rightly or wrongly) concedes on some level to Santayana's aphorism on repetitive consequences, is simply hopefully we learn from our mistakes and do better the next time around. As I think about this I wish I could find my copy of Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Perhaps the ironic (or iconic) jewel of this book on engineering failures is the one that should have failed but didn't: the Crystal Palace. I won't spoil the chapter for you, although the story like some many others, including the opening collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalks, is one of the recurring themes throughout To Engineer is Human. Simply, the idea was to create a temporary structure for the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. This temporary structure lasted in some form, however, until finally demolished in 1940. The longevity of this structure notwithstanding, this is not a dry rehash of a building. As with all the chapters in this slim book, there is a moral to this story - and a lesson for more than engineers. The moral, of the book as well, is that "[t]he object of engineering design is to obviate failure, but the truly fail-proof design is chimerical" (217). How do we prevent failure if it is a moving target? After almost thirty years, Petroski's wonderful book is a good starting place and surely a "successful design" by the standards of the essays and ideas circulating in this book. I recommend this book for everyone with a general interest in figuring things out. Whether it's actual engineering (including software), or simply gaining a more reflective view of other career paths, To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Very pleased

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Those who don't Learn from History are Doomed to Repeat It!

I found the book absolutely fascinating, especially since I am a mechanical engineer by education and experience. To Engineer is Human covers some of the greatest engineering disasters in modern times such as the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse, the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkways collapse and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Henry Petroski explains the engineering disaster in great detail and then explores the causes and effects. He then explores how (if possible) the disaster could have been avoided. Well written and understandable this book is a masterpiece. One of the primary things that all good engineers do is to contemplate the "lessons learned" after any significant endeavor...whether it has good or bad results. As the old saying goes: Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it! Engineers as well as anyone else who has an interest in engineering marvels and what can go wrong will find this book entertaining, informative and well researched. The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

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