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Designing Engineers by Louis L. BucciarelliReview by: Ed Constant

Isis, Vol. 87, No. 1 (Mar., 1996), p. 205Published by: The University of Chicago Presson behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/235810.

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BOOKREVIEWS-ISIS, 87: 1 (1996)OOKREVIEWS-ISIS, 87: 1 (1996)OOKREVIEWS-ISIS, 87: 1 (1996)QEDis essentialreading or anyonewho wishesto understand hehistoryof theoreticalphysics,especiallyin the UnitedStates,since WorldWarII. LAURIEM. BROWN

* Sociology & Philosophy of ScienceLouis L. Bucciarelli. DesigningEngineers.(In-side TechnologySeries.)x + 220 pp., illus., in-dex. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1994.$24.95.This extendedessay mightwell be subtitled anethnography f design processes. For historiansof science, especially those whose primary n-terest is experiment, his portrayal f technolog-ical design ought to be at once familiar,conge-nial, and illuminating: there is no reason tobelieve thatdesign of scientific experimentsorapparatus iffers in principle romdesignof anyother technological artifact or process. Thisstudy is not, however, history in the ordinarysense: the three case studiesthatare its gristarerecent(1980s) and,for reasonsof confidentiality,remainanonymous.Louis Bucciarelliis a con-sultant-engineer (a wonderfully enlighteningpermutation f participant-observer )ho useshis cases (manufactures f solar arrays, photo-printmachines,andcargoX-ray inspection sys-tems, respectively)not only to portray he crea-tive process of engineering design but also tograpplewith the broader ssues of technologicaland economic determinism.Bucciarelli's central theoretical concept iswhat he calls engineers' objectworlds, virtu-ally a subset of their life-worlds. As a resultof differing disciplinary background, uniqueprofessional experiences, and individual idio-syncrasies,each engineer sees a given artifactor technologicalproblemor process- the ob-ject -differently. Design, consensus about thething thatbecomes, is the productof social ne-gotiationamong engineers inhabitingthese dif-ferentobjectworlds: ncommensurable ecomesincompatible n socially madeconsensus.Tech-nology then is underdetermined ither by sci-entific principle (previously socially producedsurrogate or the worldas it is )orby themar-ket. Technology asit is is irreduciblyhistor-ically and socially contingent, the product ofmuddling hroughand hassling about p. 47),in Bucciarelli'stelling phrase.Yet Bucciarelli s not an anythinggoes rel-ativist. Heportraysdesignashappening n a field

QEDis essentialreading or anyonewho wishesto understand hehistoryof theoreticalphysics,especiallyin the UnitedStates,since WorldWarII. LAURIEM. BROWN

* Sociology & Philosophy of ScienceLouis L. Bucciarelli. DesigningEngineers.(In-side TechnologySeries.)x + 220 pp., illus., in-dex. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1994.$24.95.This extendedessay mightwell be subtitled anethnography f design processes. For historiansof science, especially those whose primary n-terest is experiment, his portrayal f technolog-ical design ought to be at once familiar,conge-nial, and illuminating: there is no reason tobelieve thatdesign of scientific experimentsorapparatus iffers in principle romdesignof anyother technological artifact or process. Thisstudy is not, however, history in the ordinarysense: the three case studiesthatare its gristarerecent(1980s) and,for reasonsof confidentiality,remainanonymous.Louis Bucciarelliis a con-sultant-engineer (a wonderfully enlighteningpermutation f participant-observer )ho useshis cases (manufactures f solar arrays, photo-printmachines,andcargoX-ray inspection sys-tems, respectively)not only to portray he crea-tive process of engineering design but also tograpplewith the broader ssues of technologicaland economic determinism.Bucciarelli's central theoretical concept iswhat he calls engineers' objectworlds, virtu-ally a subset of their life-worlds. As a resultof differing disciplinary background, uniqueprofessional experiences, and individual idio-syncrasies,each engineer sees a given artifactor technologicalproblemor process- the ob-ject -differently. Design, consensus about thething thatbecomes, is the productof social ne-gotiationamong engineers inhabitingthese dif-ferentobjectworlds: ncommensurable ecomesincompatible n socially madeconsensus.Tech-nology then is underdetermined ither by sci-entific principle (previously socially producedsurrogate or the worldas it is )orby themar-ket. Technology asit is is irreduciblyhistor-ically and socially contingent, the product ofmuddling hroughand hassling about p. 47),in Bucciarelli'stelling phrase.Yet Bucciarelli s not an anythinggoes rel-ativist. Heportraysdesignashappening n a field

QEDis essentialreading or anyonewho wishesto understand hehistoryof theoreticalphysics,especiallyin the UnitedStates,since WorldWarII. LAURIEM. BROWN

* Sociology & Philosophy of ScienceLouis L. Bucciarelli. DesigningEngineers.(In-side TechnologySeries.)x + 220 pp., illus., in-dex. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1994.$24.95.This extendedessay mightwell be subtitled anethnography f design processes. For historiansof science, especially those whose primary n-terest is experiment, his portrayal f technolog-ical design ought to be at once familiar,conge-nial, and illuminating: there is no reason tobelieve thatdesign of scientific experimentsorapparatus iffers in principle romdesignof anyother technological artifact or process. Thisstudy is not, however, history in the ordinarysense: the three case studiesthatare its gristarerecent(1980s) and,for reasonsof confidentiality,remainanonymous.Louis Bucciarelliis a con-sultant-engineer (a wonderfully enlighteningpermutation f participant-observer )ho useshis cases (manufactures f solar arrays, photo-printmachines,andcargoX-ray inspection sys-tems, respectively)not only to portray he crea-tive process of engineering design but also tograpplewith the broader ssues of technologicaland economic determinism.Bucciarelli's central theoretical concept iswhat he calls engineers' objectworlds, virtu-ally a subset of their life-worlds. As a resultof differing disciplinary background, uniqueprofessional experiences, and individual idio-syncrasies,each engineer sees a given artifactor technologicalproblemor process- the ob-ject -differently. Design, consensus about thething thatbecomes, is the productof social ne-gotiationamong engineers inhabitingthese dif-ferentobjectworlds: ncommensurable ecomesincompatible n socially madeconsensus.Tech-nology then is underdetermined ither by sci-entific principle (previously socially producedsurrogate or the worldas it is )orby themar-ket. Technology asit is is irreduciblyhistor-ically and socially contingent, the product ofmuddling hroughand hassling about p. 47),in Bucciarelli'stelling phrase.Yet Bucciarelli s not an anythinggoes rel-ativist. Heportraysdesignashappening n a field

of constraintsandopportunities,he ecologyofdesign, that is both physical (Kirchoff's lawsfor circuits)and social (organizational apabili-ties, the network or web of supplierand in-frastructuralelationships).But all of these,Buc-ciarelli argues, whether the world as it is asrepresented n science or the personalconnec-tions of a projectmanager,affectdesign only asthey are manifestedin the object worlds of theengineers and in their contingent negotiations.Theprocessis by nature ndeterminate:here arealways alternatives not explored, paths nottaken.If there is a.weakness in Bucciarelli's argu-ment, it is the also familiar one of the limitsofmicroethnographyand what can be inferredmore generallyfrom it. Bucciarelliis assuredlysensitive to the problem.But his broaderclaimto have refutedeconomic ormarketdeterminism(I would call it selection), for example, runsafoulof his own evidence.Oneof his exemplars,the solar arrayproject, gets its entire divisionunexpectedlyshut down by its parent corpora-tion so thatcorporateassets can be focused en-tirelyon a new andpromisingway of producingcost-competitive solar cells (pp. 184-185).Looks a lot like themarket, maybe even the

worldas it is, interveningand selecting: theLatouriangloss Bucciarelliputs on it does notquite save the phenomenon.Nevertheless, this is an enlighteningas wellas charmingbook. It solved two puzzles for me.First, Bucciarelli's account of time as both anengineering constraint and a resource (to bebudgetedandallocated)explainsa dimension oftechnological practicenot altogether amiliar tosome of us that dawdle in historicaltime. Sec-ond, Bucciarellimanagesto make clear whatde-signing engineers actually do to earn whatlooks-from the other side of the quad-like allthose big bucks. ED CONSTANT

W. V. Quine; Rudolf Carnap. Dear Carap,Dear Van: The Quine-Carnap Correspondenceand Related Work.Edited with an introductionby Richard Creath. xvi + 484 pp.,frontis.,fig.,index.Berkeley/LosAngeles:Universityof Cal-iforniaPress, 1991. $34.95.The relatiopshipbetween Rudolf Carap andW. V. Quine has given rise to one of the mostinterestingscientific and philosophical discus-sions in ourcentury.In a sense, it may be com-pared o the more famous debatebetweenAlbert

of constraintsandopportunities,he ecologyofdesign, that is both physical (Kirchoff's lawsfor circuits)and social (organizational apabili-ties, the network or web of supplierand in-frastructuralelationships).But all of these,Buc-ciarelli argues, whether the world as it is asrepresented n science or the personalconnec-tions of a projectmanager,affectdesign only asthey are manifestedin the object worlds of theengineers and in their contingent negotiations.Theprocessis by nature ndeterminate:here arealways alternatives not explored, paths nottaken.If there is a.weakness in Bucciarelli's argu-ment, it is the also familiar one of the limitsofmicroethnographyand what can be inferredmore generallyfrom it. Bucciarelliis assuredlysensitive to the problem.But his broaderclaimto have refutedeconomic ormarketdeterminism(I would call it selection), for example, runsafoulof his own evidence.Oneof his exemplars,the solar arrayproject, gets its entire divisionunexpectedlyshut down by its parent corpora-tion so thatcorporateassets can be focused en-tirelyon a new andpromisingway of producingcost-competitive solar cells (pp. 184-185).Looks a lot like themarket, maybe even the

worldas it is, interveningand selecting: theLatouriangloss Bucciarelliputs on it does notquite save the phenomenon.Nevertheless, this is an enlighteningas wellas charmingbook. It solved two puzzles for me.First, Bucciarelli's account of time as both anengineering constraint and a resource (to bebudgetedandallocated)explainsa dimension oftechnological practicenot altogether amiliar tosome of us that dawdle in historicaltime. Sec-ond, Bucciarellimanagesto make clear whatde-signing engineers actually do to earn whatlooks-from the other side of the quad-like allthose big bucks. ED CONSTANT

W. V. Quine; Rudolf Carnap. Dear Carap,Dear Van: The Quine-Carnap Correspondenceand Related Work.Edited with an introductionby Richard Creath. xvi + 484 pp.,frontis.,fig.,index.Berkeley/LosAngeles:Universityof Cal-iforniaPress, 1991. $34.95.The relatiopshipbetween Rudolf Carap andW. V. Quine has given rise to one of the mostinterestingscientific and philosophical discus-sions in ourcentury.In a sense, it may be com-pared o the more famous debatebetweenAlbert

of constraintsandopportunities,he ecologyofdesign, that is both physical (Kirchoff's lawsfor circuits)and social (organizational apabili-ties, the network or web of supplierand in-frastructuralelationships).But all of these,Buc-ciarelli argues, whether the world as it is asrepresented n science or the personalconnec-tions of a projectmanager,affectdesign only asthey are manifestedin the object worlds of theengineers and in their contingent negotiations.Theprocessis by nature ndeterminate:here arealways alternatives not explored, paths nottaken.If there is a.weakness in Bucciarelli's argu-ment, it is the also familiar one of the limitsofmicroethnographyand what can be inferredmore generallyfrom it. Bucciarelliis assuredlysensitive to the problem.But his broaderclaimto have refutedeconomic ormarketdeterminism(I would call it selection), for example, runsafoulof his own evidence.Oneof his exemplars,the solar arrayproject, gets its entire divisionunexpectedlyshut down by its parent corpora-tion so thatcorporateassets can be focused en-tirelyon a new andpromisingway of producingcost-competitive solar cells (pp. 184-185).Looks a lot like themarket, maybe even the

worldas it is, interveningand selecting: theLatouriangloss Bucciarelliputs on it does notquite save the phenomenon.Nevertheless, this is an enlighteningas wellas charmingbook. It solved two puzzles for me.First, Bucciarelli's account of time as both anengineering constraint and a resource (to bebudgetedandallocated)explainsa dimension oftechnological practicenot altogether amiliar tosome of us that dawdle in historicaltime. Sec-ond, Bucciarellimanagesto make clear whatde-signing engineers actually do to earn whatlooks-from the other side of the quad-like allthose big bucks. ED CONSTANT

W. V. Quine; Rudolf Carnap. Dear Carap,Dear Van: The Quine-Carnap Correspondenceand Related Work.Edited with an introductionby Richard Creath. xvi + 484 pp.,frontis.,fig.,index.Berkeley/LosAngeles:Universityof Cal-iforniaPress, 1991. $34.95.The relatiopshipbetween Rudolf Carap andW. V. Quine has given rise to one of the mostinterestingscientific and philosophical discus-sions in ourcentury.In a sense, it may be com-pared o the more famous debatebetweenAlbert

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