Engineers as revolutionaries

It is argued that a technology-driven revolution characterized by an exponentially changing reality is underway. Three categories of problems that result from these changes and cause social stress are discussed. They are: unanticipated consequences; inertial innovation, which is the continuous delivery of ever more sophisticated, higher cost technologies (e.g. defense and medical technology); and problems of deficient commercial innovation, which result from the growing economic importance of international trade to the US and the role of manufactured goods in that trade. In this context engineers are viewed as a revolutionary cadre, and their ability to offer effective answers to these problems is explored.<>