The Engineering Paradigm and Its Historical Evolution and Construction

Engineering is directly related to civilization, and in the face of the “emergency” posed by modernity, there is an imperative need to change the practical approaches of modern engineering that underlines modernity. Engineering thinking and paradigms in different eras often manifest in distinct modes of engineering, contributing to various types of civilizations. To date, in a morphological sense, humanity has experienced the “engineering in-itself paradigm” of the premodern agricultural civilization, which adapts to nature, and the “engineering for-itself paradigm” of the modern industrial civilization, which dominates nature. It is now moving toward the Engineering Ecology Paradigm, the “engineering in- and for-itself paradigm” of a postindustrial civilization, which seeks harmony between humans and nature. To this end, it is not only necessary to establish the thinking of engineering ecology but also to consciously promote the transition of engineering paradigms, embracing holistic, synergistic, and ethical perspectives for sustainable and harmonious development.