Engineering Ethics and China in Political Context

Although it might appear marginal to engineers, true professionals need a minimal degree of appreciation for the societies in which they practice. Towards this end and with regard to Chinese society—which could be understood as the largest engineering project in world history—this chapter sketches a few salient differences between Chinese and American societies in terms of political ontology, social norms, and history. Chinese politics is less propositional than American politics, and its behavioral norms are more social. Historically, China has the longest continuity of any society, but its recent experience has been one of humiliating domination by foreign powers that it is determined to overcome. 摘要：尽管对工程师而言，这似乎并不太紧要，但真正的专业人士需要对自己所处社会有一定的了解。中国有世界历史上最大的工程项目，本章通过对政治本体论、社会规范和历史三个方面的概述来介绍中美社会对待工程问题的重要差异，以期帮助读者更好地认识中国。中国政治相较于美国政治更强调实践，而在行为规范上，中国更注重社交层面。从历史角度看，尽管中国社会具有最悠久的延续性，但近年来却长期受到外国势力的羞辱性统治，这是中国所要努力摆脱的命运。