Engineering Also Needs a Soul

Why Engineering Education Must Go Beyond the Technical

In a recent essay, writer Raúl Asís Monforte challenges the prevailing emphasis on purely technical training in engineering. While artificial intelligence, robotics, and biotechnology are reshaping the world at breakneck speed, he warns that the most critical question is often overlooked: who is forming the people who will decide how these tools are used?

Monforte argues that mastering mathematics, physics, and programming is essential but insufficient. What truly determines whether technology reduces poverty or deepens inequality, protects the environment or degrades it, is the human character of its creators. The same expertise can serve opposing ends, depending on the values of the engineer.

He calls for a more holistic formation, one that cultivates empathy, integrity, social sensitivity, and a commitment to the common good. The great challenges of our era—climate change, water scarcity, urban transformation—will not be solved by clever algorithms alone. They require professionals who can act with prudence, responsibility, and a clear sense of purpose.

Why Business Leaders Should Care About the 'Soul' of Engineering

This perspective arrives as many industries quietly adjust their hiring bar beyond raw technical talent. Companies building complex systems increasingly report that the most costly failures stem not from coding errors or design flaws, but from teams that missed the human dimension—ignoring user needs, ethical red flags, or downstream social risks.

Engineering schools have begun to respond, weaving ethics and communication modules into core curricula, though the shift remains uneven. The column echoes a recurring frustration among senior project leaders: that graduates can model anything but struggle to ask “should we?” rather than just “can we?” In heavily regulated sectors like infrastructure, health tech, and energy, that question is becoming a business necessity, not an optional extra.

Monforte’s call for an engineering with “soul” is ultimately a reminder that every technical decision lands in a social context. For managers building engineering teams, the piece subtly argues for valuing not only what a candidate knows, but who they are when the specs run out and judgment is the only guide.