From technological innovation to “situated” innovation: Improving the adaptation of engineering training to the societal challenges of the 21st century

This chapter discusses the role of the engineer in today’s society, a role to be rethought in terms of the change in the historical-social paradigm. Working to produce progress can be seen as a moral duty, an obligation for the individual toward society or the human species as a whole. The idea of progress and the social role that it confers to the engineer have played a paramount role in the representation of the engineer in the collective imagination of modern times. The recent increase in interest given to the notion of innovation is an indicator of the disappearance of the sociotechnical ambition for progress. It is important to add that there is a willingness to train engineers. Many leaders of training agencies are concerned about enlarging the vision of innovation within engineering training to underline the necessity for these future professionals to be aware of major societal and environmental issues.