Published: Oct. 20, 2022

 

The Moulakis Lecture Series on Responsible Engineering seeks to inspire students to start thinking today about the immense power of engineering and their active role in shaping its future. 

In Vidmar's lecture, "Technology is a very human activity" he rejected the argument that engineers are tool-makers absolved of responsibility for what results from their projects downstream.

"I titled the lecture 'Technology is a very human activity' after one of Mel Kranzberg's "Laws of Technology," to help create a proper context for engineering students on where they will spend their careers. We also talked some about Kranzberg's first law, 'Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.'" said Vidmar. 

He argued that a broader, liberal education is necessary for engineers and that by learning widely and deeply, one becomes better equiped to understand ethical concerns, and when they come, voice them clearly.