Professionals and social responsibility: Some patterns

Modern professionals are engaged in making things better, but the specific advances on the micro-level are increasingly undercut by problems on the macro-level. The content of this better is typically guided by values such as efficiency, productivity or cost-effectiveness, which are essentially output over input ratios unable to account for how a specific improvement will fit into the broader human, social and ecological contexts. Hence, micro-level advances lead to fragmentation and a loss of harmony, compatibility and conviviality. The situation is further complicated by the fact that, culturally speaking, science and technology have become good in themselves, making reasonable discourse difficult. This paper concludes with an analogy from an earlier epoch suggesting how the situation may be resolved. After completing a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering, Willem Vanderburg continued his studies of technology via the social sciences and humanities. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Technology and Social Development in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. His publications include Technique and Culture, Vol. I, The Growth of Minds and Cultures (1985) and Perspectives on our Age (1981).