Reading novels trains engineering design and ethics, philosopher argues in new paper

_akpiper · x · 2026-10-21

Michael Kuhn's open-access paper "Why Engineers Should Read More Novels" (DOI: 10.1002/cite.12011) makes a two-part case, summarized by akpiper:

Design is fiction: engineering artifacts meet all three criteria of fiction—representations that could describe reality, not describing anything real here, with that clearly signalled. Flow charts, CAD models and simulations describe plants that don't yet exist.
Fictions have gaps: models never capture noise, seal wear, or unexpected usage. Novels train the same skill set—imagining what doesn't exist, aligning mental pictures, distinguishing model from reality.
Novels train ethical judgment: acting morally means weighing actions from the perspective of everyone affected—builders, neighbors, distant populations, future generations. Climate change is easy to ignore because effects are far away in space and time.
Empathy with a caveat: reading builds empathy, which motivates action, but it favors the near, so it must be balanced with impartial judgment. Markets and regulators increasingly reward sustainability, so early movers are less caught off guard.

The paper also discusses using novels in engineering education.

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