Abstract

The relationship between the history and philosophy of engineering is similar to that between the history and philosophy of science and that between the history and philosophy of technology. Lakatos’ thesis—that “philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind”—applies as well to the history and philosophy of engineering. To advance the history of engineering requires some attention to the nature of engineering and vice versa. The effort here is to draw some lines of demarcation among the histories of engineering, of technology, of science, and of economics from a philosophical point view. With regard to history, a theory of engineering evolution can bridge philosophy and history; an important part of such an evolution will also consider historical developments in the engineering community. There nevertheless remain important tensions and complementarities between the history and philosophy of engineering.