Accidents Quote by Henry Petroski
“My first book, 'To Engineer Is Human,' was prompted by nonengineer friends asking me why so many technological accidents and failures were occurring. If engineers knew what they were doing, why did bridges and buildings fall down? It was a question that I had often asked myself, and I had no easy answer.”
About This Quote
Source Book: To Engineer Is Human, 2000
Engineering failures arise from human error, complexity, and unforeseen interactions.
In simple terms: Engineers make mistakes too.
Key Takeaway
Study past failures to improve design.
Themes
risk
learning
humility
Mood
cautious
inquisitive
Type
technical
educational
When to use this quote
- construction project
- product development
- policy making
- education curriculum
Key Concepts
systems thinking
failure analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- What can we learn from past accidents?
- How can we design for unforeseen failures?
A Different Perspective
Complex systems can have unknown unknowns beyond past lessons.
![“Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct [i.e. the designed entity] is a matter of availability. If there is body of scientific knowledge that can be applied, then it would be foolish not to exploit it. However, if there is none, it does not mean that the thing cannot be…” quote by Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17d/henry-petroski-10198_availability_whether-or-not-science-can-be-applied-to_341822.jpg)
