Occasional Paper #23:OP:2

by Daniel R. Lynch

In a provocative article aimed at stimulating discussion, Lynch argues that new developments are needed within the engineering profession if it is to serve the historical moment. He asserts that the Industrial Revolution will run to completion, irreversibly and worldwide, in the coming 50 years, but current approaches to technological development do not adequately consider the global implications of this change. The engineering profession, itself defined by the Industrial Revolution, thus must take greater responsibility for the outcomes of globalization. Lynch calls for a cooperative dialogue involving all parts of the engineering profession ­ education, research, practice, professional societies, corporations, and agencies -- to develop an agenda for action which incorporates norms of international justice. He then explores how human rights standards and Catholic Social Thought might influence such an agenda for action.


Daniel R. Lynch is MacLean Professor of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. He conducted research on this article as Visiting Melchor Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, University of Notre Dame.

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