Special session - Teaching philosophy in engineering courses

Interest in philosophy and engineering continues to develop. Another special session was held at FIE 2008 and there was a complete paper session devoted to the topic. The second international workshop on philosophy and engineering followed. Many of the contributions at this workshop once again showed that general discussions about philosophy and engineering have outcomes that have implications for the engineering curriculum. An emerging strand relates to the idea that philosophy, in addition to ethics, should be taught in the engineering curriculum. How this should be done is a matter of debate. The questions posed relate to content and method. For example should it be a separate course or integrated into existing programmes, as for example design where there is already a relevant and high quality literature? Is it concerned with the acquisition of philosophical knowledge as covered by the traditional disciplines of knowledge or is it about helping students to develop a philosophical disposition?