The Instinctive Engineer

Key Insights

Engineering has drifted from its roots in human instinct and adaptability, becoming overly reliant on rigid systems and technologies.
The Industrial Revolution marked a shift towards mechanization and standardization, often at the expense of human-centric design.
Modern challenges such as climate change and technological disruption demand a return to instinctive, flexible engineering approaches.
Biomimicry and systems thinking offer pathways to reintegrate human intuition into engineering practices.
Embracing uncertainty and adaptability can lead to more resilient and innovative engineering solutions.

References

Petroski, H. (1992). The Evolution of Useful Things. Vintage Books.
Buchanan, R. (2001). Design Research and the New Learning. Design Issues, 17(4), 3-23.
Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition. Basic Books.
Benyus, J. M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Harper Perennial.
Papanek, V. (1985). Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change. Academy Chicago Publishers.

The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit

The Instinctive Engineer 1 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit 2 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives 3 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy 4 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward 5 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing ← Series Home 468% Output increase from Ford's first moving assembly line within a year ...

The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives

The Instinctive Engineer 1 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit 2 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives 3 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy 4 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward 5 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing ← Series Home 600+ Muscles humans coordinate in real-time for simple motions like hammering ...

The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy

The Instinctive Engineer 1 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit 2 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives 3 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy 4 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward 5 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing ← Series Home 1947 Year Lego began selling interlocking plastic bricks, revolutionizing toy design ...

The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward

The Instinctive Engineer 1 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit 2 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives 3 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy 4 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward 5 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing ← Series Home PDSA Cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act: The framework for pragmatic experiments and learning from failure ...

The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing

The Instinctive Engineer 1 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 1: When the Assembly Line Broke the Human Spirit 2 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 2: The Octopus and the Cathedral - Rethinking Where Intelligence Lives 3 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 3: From Products to Processes - The Unseen Rise of the 'Do-It-Myself' Economy 4 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 4: Learning to Swim in a Sea of Data - Why We Must Fail to Move Forward 5 The Instinctive Engineer - Part 5: Building the Self-Supporting Society - Engineering for Human Flourishing ← Series Home 20 watts Energy consumption of the human brain, far more efficient than AI systems ...

Key Insights#

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Key Insights

References