Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 April 2016
The Empathetic Engineer
When I tell people that I study philosophy alongside
engineering, I’m usually faced with remarks about what an odd combination it is
and then questions as to why I chose to do it. I usually have to decide if I’m
going to give them the short explanation or the real one. My short explanation is usually along the
lines of…philosophy is a subject that educates me about the world, and the
people in it, while teaching me how to reason and examine things in a logical
way. This explanation isn’t wrong, but it’s kind of boring and it doesn’t go
the whole way to explain the importance of philosophy, and the influence it has
had on me as an engineering student.
This post is going to act as my full explanation! I intend
to carry around pieces of paper with a link to this page for all those times
I’m asked why I do philosophy. I think it’ll save me a lot of time.
To begin with, what is philosophy?
Like in all philosophy, there isn’t a certain or correct
answer to this question. I apologise to all those engineers who like to know
the answers to everything, philosophy is definitely not for you! In saying
that, you might gain something by thinking about it.
I like to define it using one word: reasoning. You can
expand on this and say it’s the active questioning of ideas and things, the
attempt to understand the world around us, or the art of asking why over and
over again. I think these all mean similar things. You take an idea and reason
with it. You pull it apart, examine it from all angles, question the
fundamental assumptions or ideas surrounding it, try to explain it with logic,
defend or attack it, view it from a different perspective, all these things and
more.
Eventually you might have a clearer idea about it, a
realisation about the way it should be, or a new and unexpected outlook.
This is what my bookshelf looks like! A mix of ethics and engineering, with a hint of Spanish, Harry Potter and modern art.
I think these sorts of outcomes make philosophy an important
subject because it gets you thinking about something that is essential to any
project (or at least any project I want to be a part of): empathy.
When asked what the biggest challenge facing contemporary
society is, CNN reporter and philosopher Nahlah Ayed replied “the erosion of
empathy” (see the New Philosopher link at the end of the post).
There is a growing disconnect between groups of human beings
as global political issues change, technology becomes more influential, and the
disparity in wealth increases. It is easy to ignore many of the terrible things
that are happening to other people in the world (our own country included), but
it is important that we don’t.
Most of us are good at sympathising when we see images or
hear stories of terrible political situations, environmental crises or poverty
in the world, but we’re really bad at empathising. Empathy requires more understanding
than sympathy does.
Obviously, Philosophy doesn’t give you a super power that
allows you to understand every person on the planet, but it does provide you
with better tools to start the process of understanding, and also more
appreciation of that process. It makes you want to learn more about people and
their perspectives by thinking about topics like ethics, human rights,
happiness, utility and responsibility.
This empathy, or understanding, is something that should be
actively involved in every design process. I came across it in a humanitarian
engineering design process from the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia
Design Summit in Cambodia this year. Empathising was actually included as a
step in the design process. During the summit, we stayed in a remote village
for 5 days with a family who had never had westerners there before. We asked
questions, got to know the locals, and did the work they do while we were
there.
The understanding we got from that was invaluable. It
allowed us to think of design ideas that were appropriate for them, and also
made us care about their wellbeing that bit more. A lot of design work in
developing countries has failed due to a lack of understanding. A great example
is the play pump in Africa (see the link at the end of this post). To see empathy included in EWB’s
design process is awesome!
This is the human-centred design process EWB provided us with.
Outside of the humanitarian engineering context, this can
apply in any situation. It’s all about connecting with people and using your
skills in a way that empowers them, and gives them something that they actually
want.
For me, exploring the importance of empathy has changed two
main things. First, my approach to design problems. I now ask more questions, I
question the fundamental assumptions provided to me, and I try to make a
connection with the user so I can better understand them. Second, it has
changed the sorts of projects I want to be involved with. I want to be involved
in projects where I can make those special connections with a cause or with a
group of people. I want to be able to satisfy that part of me that is thinking
about the ethics of everything.
The final thought I want to leave you with is about mindfulness.
In a way, I think that philosophy is mindfulness. It’s about being conscious of
everything, all ideas and all people, and trying to make sense of it all. I
think if everyone was a little more mindful, the world would have half as many
problems as it does now.
Emily
P.S. For those interested in exploring a little more, here is
some recommended reading!
New philosopher (#11 Technology): http://www.newphilosopher.com/articles/new-issue/
A blog post of mine from 2015 that explores how philosophy
gives engineering context. I look at a project I did on people with hearing
impairments: http://emilyengineer.blogspot.com/2015/05/social-engineering.html
Human centred design: https://eng.anu.edu.au/courses/engn2225/course-files/textbooks/IDEO_Field_Guide.pdf
Saturday, 2 May 2015
Social Engineering
I had two assignments due this week. While the tasks couldn't have been more different, they were both tackling the same issue - deafness. The first was a structured report containing the functional analysis for my group project (basically what the steps are that a system has to complete to do its job). We're designing a new display system for a transcription process that will allow a deaf employee to participate more effectively in workplace meetings (pretty cool stuff as this is all for a real client). The second was a philosophy paper discussing different definitions of "disability", deafness as a disability and when governments should interfere in disabled persons lives.Here's my group working really hard!
It was a really weird week for me. For the engineering assignment, I had to look at the situation objectively, carry out technical analysis and take a practical approach to the client's issue. However my mind was constantly interrupting me with deep, abstract questions about the state of disability. Is their "disability" just a social problem that's been created by our own failure to adapt the world around them? Is deafness even a disability? What does society owe them? I also wondered whether they identified as deaf or Deaf (yep, deaf with a capital d is a thing - and by thing, I mean a really well developed culture, look it up: http://www.deafculture.com).
At first these questions frustrated me, but as I worked on my philosophy paper, I began to answer these questions and then my answers began to provide context for the engineering project. I don't believe disability is purely a social problem (i.e. something caused by unjustified social attitudes and a world full of design flaws), but I think that governments, of course, have responsibilities to technically-disabled persons to raise awareness about their condition, promote their participation in the work force and invest in adapting the way things function so that normal tasks become easier for them. I realised that these things are exactly what the group project is doing. We're levelling the playing field by allowing someone to more efficiently participate in their workplace. This allows them to demonstrate their ability and not their disability to their co-workers.
Design requirements and optimisation aside, it became clear that the project's goals tap in to a large social movement beyond this one client. The overall motivation for projects like this is to create something that enhances someone's ability to do a desired activity in a way that has the power, however small, to address the unjustified social attitudes surrounding disability and make the world more usable for everybody.
Here's me looking pensive. Please don't take me too seriously.
While it's hard to say whether thinking about these things had a measured impact on the project, I think it was really important to remember why we were doing it (beyond "because our lecturer/boss told us to"). I think it's so easy to forget about what motivates a project. Projects revolve around people, and so often there's a bigger picture to look at.
Every time I start a project, I'm going to ask myself why I'm doing it. I'll look at not only why the client wants me to do it or why it benefits us directly, but why the project is valuable to some bigger idea.
Love from,
Philosophical Emily
