Mr. Spock, Passion & Engineering

David E. GoldbergUniversity of IllinoisUrbana, Illinois 61801deg@illinois.edu

(c) 2008 David E. Goldberg

From Pride to PassionSome engineers want to be emotionless like Mr. Spock of StarTrek?Really smart guy.Was logical & played 3D chess.What was his weakness?

Myth of the PassionsEmotions-passion something to be avoided or minimized: Stoics to rationalists.Passions as something that happens to us. Hydraulic metaphor: Have emotional energy, and it gets bottled up, then explodes.Maybe this works for anger, but what about love?

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Emotions: What Are They?If emotions are not things that happen to us, what are they?Emotions are intentional: Oriented at objects.Emotions are judgments.Maintain personal dignity and self-esteem.

Mr. Spock RevisitedWish you were emotionless like Mr. Spock of StarTrek?Think again.Captain Kirk was the better strategic thinker for a reason.Spock had trouble making judgments.Emotionlessness left him unable to judge.

Emotion & Judgment InterlacedYour emotions are the source of your ability to choose.They are the wellspring of your values.And they are source of your engineering judgment. Don’t want emotions run amok, but don’t deny their importance.Development of emotional intelligence important to engineers at work.