Eastern Philosophical Approaches and Engineering
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The connections between Eastern philosophical traditions and engineering, which originated in its modern form in the West, have been developed to varying degrees. In China, the development of engineering has been closely yoked to the socialist and economic agenda of the Chinese Communist Party and its Marxist justification since the 1950s; more recently, connections have been drawn between it and Confucianism, especially the idea of the dao and qi. In India, engineering in its modern form arose as British influence waxed in the 1800s. Its progression can be mapped through three stages that align with duty and karma, virtues and dharma, and professionalism and Jainism; engineering has been closely yoked to the countrys identity since its independence. While there has been little explicit interaction between philosophy and engineering in Japan, in spite of the importance of the Kyoto Schools reflections on technology, the country made a conscientious political decision to import Western engineering expertise and technology for military reasons, which today have almost entirely have been redirected to economic concerns.
