威廉·L·查普曼的《设计我们的世界: 工程思维如何塑造未来》是一部深刻阐述工程学本质及其与社会发展互动关系的宏观力作。本书超越了传统技术叙事的局限, 将工程实践置于广阔的历史、文化、伦理与经济语境中加以考察, 系统性地揭示了“工程思维”作为一种独特认知与实践模式的核心特征与演化逻辑。作者通过跨时代、跨领域的丰富案例, 论证了工程不仅是技术的应用, 更是一种基于约束条件的创造性问题解决过程, 深刻塑造了人类文明形态并持续回应着可持续发展的全球挑战。本书的核心价值在于其构建了理解工程活动社会维度的整体性框架, 对工程教育革新与公众工程素养提升具有重要的启示意义。

William L. Chapman' s Designing Our World: Engineering Mindsets and the Shaping of the Future is a seminal work that offers a profound exposition of the essence of engineering and its dynamic interplay with societal evolution. Moving beyond the confines of conventional technical discourse, the volume contextualizes engineering practice within expansive historical, cultural, ethical, and economic frameworks, thereby systematically delineating the core attributes and evolutionary trajectory of the “engineering mindset” as a distinct mode of cognition and praxis. Drawing upon a rich tapestry of cross-temporal and crossdomain case studies, the author posits that engineering transcends mere technological application; it is, fundamentally, a creative problem-solving endeavor operating under constraints—an endeavor that has indelibly shaped the contours of human civilization and continues to engage with the pressing global imperative of sustainable development. The work' s cardinal contribution resides in its articulation of an integrative framework for comprehending the social dimensions of engineering, furnishing pivotal implications for the transformation of engineering education and the cultivation of public engineering literacy.