Engineering and Theology: Approximations to Reality

Engineering Metaphysics Conference

Tulsa

William JordanBaylor University

Importance of topic• As a practicing Christian and an

engineer, both my faith and my profession are important to whom I amMy faith affects everything I doMy engineering world view affects everything I

do• I need to understand how to relate them

together

Insights gained from work on science and faith• Many people have looked at how

science and Christian faith should interact

• We can learn from their work

Science and faith perspectives• They describe different worlds that do

not really interact (2 spheres approach)• Science is more fundamental and my

faith must be consistent with my science• My faith is more fundamental and my

science must be consistent with my faith• My faith and science are not the same,

but their concerns do overlap

Engineering and Christian faith• I have accepted the last approach

mentioned on the previous slide• Engineering and Christian faith are not

the same, but they do overlap in many, often complex ways.

• This presentation looks at one aspect of this—they both are approximations to reality

Outline of presentation• The nature of engineering• The nature of theology

• Relationship between engineering and theologyA common problem both face

A Definition of Engineering• Creating a definition is not simple

There are some activities that are clearly the practice of engineering

There are some activities that are clearly not the practice of engineering

There are many activities in which it is not clear whether or not engineering is being performed

A Definition of Engineering• There are many written definitions of science

and the scientific method, but fewer attempts have been made to define engineering

• Many definitions are attempts to define how one branch of engineering is different from another

• While I do not agree completely with his definition, I am indebted to the careful thinking of the nature of engineering that has been done by Dr. Billy Koen of the University of Texas

Dr. Koen’s Definition of Engineering• He uses the term heuristic to mean

something that is an aid or direction in the solution of a problem, but cannot necessarily be justified by itself.

• Examples of engineering heuristics Rules of thumb Make small changes in the state-of-the-art At some point in the project, freeze the design

Dr. Koen’s Definition of Engineering• The engineering method is “the strategy

for causing the best change in a poorly understood or uncertain situation within the available resources and the use of heuristics.”

• At the heart of his definition is the concept that engineering is an approximation to reality

A simpler definition of engineering• Last month I used the following slide to

introduce engineering to high school students in Musanze, Rwanda

A Definition of Engineering…

Engineers turn ideas into useful systems or products.

Engineers use models• Engineers use models of the physical

world to aid in their analysisThese models are not the reality itself

• Many students do not really understand this distinction

Examples of models• Newtonian mechanics

• Lamination theory to predict how composite materials will behaveWhen theory and experiments do not match,

most students assume the experiment was not done correctly

The nature of theology• Theologians also create models to

describe how God has acted in human historyThey may not use the term model

• Example—perspective on end timesAmillenialPre-millennialPost-millennial

Precision of models• While these models are human

abstractions concerning ultimate reality, they need to be precise enough upon which to base fundamental choices in life.

Importance of models• If we are to experience the life God

wants us to have we need to understand theology well enough to know what God expects of humans.

• While Newtonian mechanics is not a perfect model it is good enough for us to use as the basis for the design of a new airplane.

Good theology and good engineering• Not everyone agrees as to what is good

theology or good engineering. • Christians differ on what is the best form

of church government. • With respect to an engineer designing a

new car, the result will be very different if it is designed for manufacturability rather than for repairability.

Importance of innovations• We need innovations in both theology

and engineering• There are limitations to these innovations• What is developed must work with the

reality that we have

Theology Innovation issues• A good theologian needs to be able to

help Christians who face new issues, such as privacy and the use of technology.

• Too much innovation in theology can lead to models about God that do not match the experiences of Christians throughout history—leading to heresy

Engineering innovation issues• Engineers are rewarded for creating new

designs; however, whatever they create must still work in the real world.

• Innovations must be sustainable in the long run if civilization is to surviveNot everything that can be made should be

made

Application of these concepts• I will look at an example where the

approximate models of theology can be used to give insight into the approximate models of engineering

A problem faced by engineering education and theology• Relativism is being promoted as part of a

good way to teach engineeringSome may be doing this without realizing its

significanceSome may very well recognize its significance

Relativism and engineering education

• This first came to my attention in 1990 with a paper by Culver (Engineering Education, July/August 1990)

• Culver applied William Perry’s model of intellectual development to engineering education Perry had nine positions or stages of development ranging

from the lowest level (where all knowledge is known) to the highest level (commitment within relativism)

Culver’s Paper• His university based their new freshman and

sophomore introduction to engineering course sequence on this model

• They noted that a lack of a unique solution in engineering design appears to fit in well with Perry’s view that intellectual maturity involves a commitment to a relativistic world view

The issue continues

• It has moved from just being an issue about design education to an issue concerning the way engineers teach in all of our classes.

Engineering Educational Reform• Increased recognition that traditional

lecture methods were not working with many of our students

• Need to try something different• A variety of strategies that go under the

names of active learning or collaborative learning are being adapted for the engineering class room.

Engineering Educational Reform• Active learning concepts are not new

Have been around College of Education circles for some time

Have been around Engineering circles for some time under a different name• We called them labs

• What is new to many engineering faculty is incorporating these concepts into a typical lecture class

Active learning examples• Doing experiments within a traditional lecture

class. Use the experiments to teach the material (rather than having the experiment support the lecture)

• After a brief lecture, break the class into small groups and have them solve a problem based on the new content

• Have groups report on what they have studied at the next class period (in place of a traditional homework assignment)

Many Active Learning Techniques are based on a Constructivist Approach• Bodner and Klobuchar, in a paper in the Journal of

Chemical Education, write “Traditional theories assume that our minds contain images

that somehow represent reality as if they were copies or pictures. If one accepts this assumption, knowledge can be judged as “true” or “false.” Constructivist theories of knowledge are based on a fundamentally different assumption: Knowledge is constructed in the mind of the learner…From the perspective of the constructivist…knowledge should no longer be judged in terms of whether or not it is true or false, but in terms of whether it works. The only thing that matters is whether the knowledge we construct functions satisfactorily in the context in which it arises.”

Constructivism in Engineering Education• This perspective on knowledge appeals

to some engineers, who are used to only being concerned with “what works”

• However, what works in a class setting (such as getting an answer your group can agree on and feeling good about your answer) may not work at all in an actual engineering design

Dangers of Constructivist Thinking• As a Christian and an engineer I believe that

there are some things that are true about our world

• As a Christian and an engineer I believe that there are some things that are not true about our world

• Students may construct a reality that is not true• Students may firmly believe that their false

reality is as good as the true reality

Example of student created reality• Two papers at the 2012 ASEE conference

earlier this week reported that 75% of engineering students use on-line solution manuals to solve homework problems.

• A majority of the students claim they have never cheated

• They have constructed their own definition of cheating which is not consistent with the professor’s definition

A Good Aspect of Constructivist Thinking• This is how many engineers and

scientists actually do researchWe create models to explain our experimental

resultsEducation faculty would say we are

constructing our own reality

Using active learning safely• When using active learning, we need to

emphasize to the students:While we will not tell you the answer while

your group is struggling to understand the problem, a true or real answer does exist.

The true or real answer• For many engineering calculations, there

is only one correct answer, and everything else is incorrect.

• Students need to recognize that they do not have the right to construct an alternate reality that does not fit the reality of the world we live in

Several true or real answers• We still have a problem with design, in

that there is no single right or true answer to a design problem

• This does not mean that any answer is acceptable, while there are several right answers, there are also many wrong answers

Design example• If the question was to design a chair,

there are many possible good designs• There are also many possible

unacceptable designs If the chair breaks when someone sits in it, it

is unacceptable If the chair tips over when someone sits in it, it

is unacceptable

Using Techniques that Work• Many active learning techniques appear

to work very well• Yet many of them are based on a

questionable “constructivist approach”• Should Christians use things that work,

even if their philosophical basis is poor?

Are there other sources for Active Learning?• Is there a Biblical support for active

learning techniques in the ministry of Jesus?

• If so, the fact that this approach has been rediscovered by modern constructivists should not be a problem

Old Testament Example of Active Learning• These commandments that I give you today are to be

upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Dt 6:6-9). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

• This shows teaching should be part of ordinary, daily life. This involves physical illustrations as well as casual conversations between a parent and child

New Testament Example of Active Learning• Using common things

So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Lk 20:21-25). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

New Testament Example of Active Learning• Using questions and answers

One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Lk 20:1-8). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Additional Biblical Examples of Active Learning• Teaching by active participation in a

symbolic eventPassoverCommunionBaptism

Example conclusions• There are professors who are trying to

introduce relativistic thinking into engineering education through: Engineering design Use of active learning

• Things like this will inevitably happen since engineering is always an approximation and people will have new ideas on how to do it

Example conclusions• Even though theology is also an

approximation, we can use to it help make judgments concerning engineering

• Active learning techniques are not inherently based on a bad philosophical basis, for many of them were used by Jesus

Conclusions• Both theology and engineering are

approximations to ultimate reality, not ultimate reality itself.

• They can become good enough approximations so that you can reliably use both of them to guide your life.

Any Questions?You can contact Dr. Jordan at

bill_jordan@baylor.edu