"Science is about knowing, engineering is about doing." The author works, in this book, to explain the difference. Important issues are discussed in this book. Henry Petroski asks how decisions affecting our lives, lifestyles and world are made. How do we gather information, how is the data collected, and then who fixes the problems that have been identified.

I am happy I stumbled upon this book. Think about all the big technical and political problems that face us in the 2010s and begin to think about how we deal with these problems. There are sensible ways to approach technical problems. It does not mean the technical problems can all be fixed or that the right decisions will always be made. But, we do know how to approach technical problems, if we think about it and use the lessons of human life in the last few centuries.

I enjoyed chapter 11, where the author talks about C. P. Snow's lecture "The Two Cultures." This conceptualization of the difference between those who know something about the hard sciences versus those who know about humanities and literature is still relevant today. Although it probably could be updated and modified, we certainly see differences in groups of people who believe in hard sciences and other groups of people. The author and Snow correctly, I believe, point out the similarity in approach that links those separated by this divide and point to possible ways to bridge the gap.

Petroski lists the 14 challenges defined by the National Academy of Engineering. This list addresses some of the big problems we as a civilization should be seeking answers to, and include: restore and improve urban infrastructure, reverse-engineer the brain, and prevent nuclear terror.

The book concludes in chapter 14, titled "Prizing Engineering."
This concluding chapter argues for encouragement of young upcoming and existing engineers. Also the author ends with the obvious, but vitally important conclusion, that the biggest problem for humanity is not the need to improve science and engineering, but the need to improve how humans understand and use technology and each other. (review also posted in LibraryThing)