Samuel C. Florman's Books

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

By: Samuel C. Florman

A classic examination of how engineers think and feel about their profession and its philosophy. “A useful read for engineers given to self-scrutiny, and a stimulating one for the layman interested in the ancient schism between machines and men’s souls.” —Time Humans have always sought to change their environment, building houses, monuments, temples, and roads. In the process, they have remade the fabric of the world into newly functional objects that are also works of art to be admired. Now as engineering plays an increasingly important role in the world while coming under attack for all manner of sins, one must wonder about the nature of the engineering experience in our time. In this, the second edition of his popular Existential Pleasures of Engineering, Samuel Florman perceptively explores how engineers think and feel about their profession. Dispelling the myth that engineering is cold and passionless, Florman celebrates it as something vital and alive. He views engineering as a response to some of our deepest impulses, rich in spiritual and sensual rewards. Opposing the “antitechnology” stance, Florman brilliantly emerges with a more practical, creative, and fun philosophy of engineering that boasts pride in his craft. First published in 1976, this classic book is essential reading for anyone curious about what wonders we have wrought. “Gracefully written . . . refreshing and highly infectious enthusiasm . . . imaginatively engineered.” —The New York Times Book Review

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Page Count

271

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466842369

ISBN 13

9781466842366

The Civilized Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Civilized Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

Civil engineer Samuel C. Florman's The Civilized Engineer is aimed at both those observing and commenting externally on engineering, and the practicing engineer—to reveal something of the art behind great engineering achievements, and to stimulate debate upon the author's hypothesis that "in its moment of ascendance, engineering is faced with the trivialization of its purpose and the debasement of its practice.

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Page Count

306

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466868570

ISBN 13

9781466868571

The Introspective Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Introspective Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

The profession of engineering is rarely the topic of serious public discussion. Multimedia, virtual reality, information superhighway-these are the buzzwords of the day. But real engineers, the people who conceive of computers and oversee their manufacture, the people who design and build information systems, cars, bridges, and airplanes, labor in obscurity. There are no engineering heroes, and we as a society are poorer for this. Like Florman's landmark book, The Existential Pleasures of Engineering, The Introspective Engineer is a clarion call to society. We must awaken to the reality that the quality of human life depends on increasingly creative technological solutions to the problems we face. We need cleaner, more economical engines, faster computers, more power, and a healthier planet if we are to survive. It is engineers who will lead us to this future.

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Page Count

297

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466853263

ISBN 13

9781466853263

The Introspective Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Introspective Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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297

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Macmillan + ORM

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ISBN 10

1466853263

ISBN 13

9781466853263

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

A Technologist's Guide to History, Literature, Philosophy, Art and Music

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Engineering and the Liberal Arts

A Technologist's Guide to History, Literature, Philosophy, Art and Music

By: Samuel C. Florman

From the author who inspired inaugural poet Richard Blanco! Engineering and the Liberal Arts remains a fresh and provocative book, using the familiar world of technology to guide a new generation of engineers through the stimulating world of the liberal arts. Beginning with a penetrating and enlightening discussion of how exposure to the arts can enrich and reward nearly every aspect of an engineer's life, Samuel Florman—himself a decorated engineer with over fifty years' experience in the field—boldly explores the natural relationship between liberal arts and technology. Sweeping away traditional barriers separating the two fields, Florman establishes a rich and vital communication of ideas between scientist and artist. By linking the history of technology to world history, the truth of science to philosophy, utility of form to painting and sculpture, and the world of view of the engineer to literature, Florman builds a series of bridges connecting science to art. A complete survey of the arts in and of itself, this impressive volume constitutes an introduction to the infinite variety of pleasures afforded through study of the liberal arts, paving the way to a richer, fuller life for the engineer.

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Page Count

291

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466884991

ISBN 13

9781466884991

The Aftermath

A Novel of Survival

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Aftermath

A Novel of Survival

By: Samuel C. Florman

The year is 2010 and the world as we know it has come to an end. A huge comet has smashed into the earth off the coast of California, vaporizing and generating a fiery rain that engulfs the globe in a destructive holocaust. But at the opposite pole of the planet, there is a "safe zone" encompassing part of the southeast African shore and the southern tip of Madagascar where the damage is extensive but not total. Spared from destruction is a luxury cruise ship, the Queen of Africa, which carries 600 of the world's leading engineers. These outstanding technologists, traveling with their immediate families, are engaged in a seminar dedicated to finding solutions to humanity's eternal needs-shelter, food, energy, environmental preservation, and the like. But when the impact of the comet sends shock waves around the world, the passengers' first priority is to abandon ship for terra firma. Thus they head for the South African coast to begin the task of "starting over." In KwaZulu Natal the passengers find a surviving community of about 25,000, including many experienced agricultural and industrial workers. These people have been cast back, physically, to the Stone Age, but intellectually they are at the forefront of technological progress in the 21st century, and they have at their disposal the natural resources needed to embark on an industrial revolution. So begins an epic adventure of rebuilding the world from scratch, but in an unpredictable, and sometimes hostile, environment, survival itself may be the real challenge. The Aftermath is a provocative adventure story that provides a scientifically sound blueprint for surviving Armageddon.

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Page Count

356

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1429973935

ISBN 13

9781429973939

The Civilized Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Civilized Engineer

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Page Count

306

Publisher

Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466868570

ISBN 13

9781466868571

Blaming Technology

The Irrational Search For Scapegoats

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Blaming Technology

The Irrational Search For Scapegoats

By: Samuel C. Florman

Blaming Technology: The Irrational Search for Scapegoats is Samuel C. Florman's 1981 discussion of the state of technology and engineering in the United States, including the pros and cons, and the public's perceptions and opinions.

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Page Count

235

Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466867795

ISBN 13

9781466867796

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

A Technologist's Guide to History, Literature, Philosophy, Art and Music

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Engineering and the Liberal Arts

A Technologist's Guide to History, Literature, Philosophy, Art and Music

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Page Count

291

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466884991

ISBN 13

9781466884991

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

By: Samuel C. Florman

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The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

By: Samuel C. Florman

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271

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Macmillan + ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466842369

ISBN 13

9781466842366

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

A Life in Construction

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

A Life in Construction

By: Samuel C. Florman

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings is an engaging memoir about one man's career in construction--rising to the top of an industry renowned for crime, corruption, violence, physical danger, and the chronic risk of financial catastrophe. Starting in the Navy Seabees at the end of WWII, Samuel C. Florman made his way as a general contractor in New York City through the period of explosive development, private exuberance and the historic growth of publicly supported housing--all amidst the rise of the notorious Mafia families, and evolution of the Civil Rights Movement. His storied career brought him into contact with a variety of personalities: politicians and civil servants, developers and technocrats, saintly do-gooders and corrupt rapscallions. Along with the rousing adventures there were satisfactions of a different sort: the enchantment of seeing architecture made real; the pride of creating housing, hospitals, schools, places of worship--shelter for the body and nourishment for the spirit.

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Page Count

353

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1429941081

ISBN 13

9781429941082

Blaming Technology

The Irrational Search For Scapegoats

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Blaming Technology

The Irrational Search For Scapegoats

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Page Count

235

Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466867795

ISBN 13

9781466867796

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

A Life in Construction

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

A Life in Construction

By: Samuel C. Florman

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

353

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312641672

ISBN 13

9780312641672

Book's by Samuel C. Florman

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

The Civilized Engineer

The Civilized Engineer

The Introspective Engineer

The Introspective Engineer

The Introspective Engineer

The Introspective Engineer

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

The Aftermath

The Aftermath

The Civilized Engineer

The Civilized Engineer

Blaming Technology

Blaming Technology

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

Engineering and the Liberal Arts

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

Blaming Technology

Blaming Technology

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings

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