When planes crash, bridges collapse, and automobile gas tanks
explode, we are quick to blame poor design. But Henry Petroski says
we must look beyond design for causes and corrections. Known for
his masterly explanations of engineering successes and failures,
Petroski here takes his analysis a step further, to consider the
larger context in which accidents occur.
In "To Forgive Design" he surveys some of the most infamous
failures of our time, from the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse and
the toppling of a massive Shanghai apartment building in 2009 to
Boston's prolonged Big Dig and the 2010 Gulf oil spill. These
avoidable disasters reveal the interdependency of people and
machines within systems whose complex behavior was undreamt of by
their designers, until it was too late. Petroski shows that even
the simplest technology is embedded in cultural and socioeconomic
constraints, complications, and contradictions.
Failure to imagine the possibility of failure is the most
profound mistake engineers can make. Software developers realized
this early on and looked outside their young field, to structural
engineering, as they sought a historical perspective to help them
identify their own potential mistakes. By explaining the
interconnectedness of technology and culture and the dangers that
can emerge from complexity, Petroski demonstrates that we would all
do well to follow their lead.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!