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INTRODUCTION 11 1 Introduction It is tempting to view any occupational grouping, whether engineers, lawyers, or teachersâor, for that matter, plumbers or policeâas a distinct entity, separate from the society in which it develops and functions. Yet such distinctions, inevitable as they may be, are always artificial. The hard dichotomy thus established is in many ways inadequate for describing the complex, dynamic interactions through which society molds professions and professions shape society. Moreover, the habit of dichotomizing can do damage to the popular conception of a profession and its role within the larger society. This may be especially true in the case of an occupation such as engineering, which is subject to rapid change, much diversity in its makeup, and a considerable degree of mystery (from the standpoint of the general public) regarding the nature of its activities. Under such conditions, it is all too easy for an ''us and them'' point of view to take root. With these thoughts in mind, the panel that was formed to examine the broad questions of engineering's functioning within the societal context decided to entitle its report "Engineering in Society." This title is meant to set a prevailing tone appropriate to the symbiosis that exists between the profession and the surrounding culture. It is hoped that, by this means, the discussion will be better able to stress the degree to which the health of the engineering profession and the health of the American economy and society are intertwined.
