Abstract
The importance of standards in engineering is undisputed; the assertion put forward is that, in infrastructure projects, there has been an increasing tendency to use standards as a means of strengthening contractual positions in a manner that reduces the engineers’ freedom and ability to optimise project outcomes. The engineering context, as well as the type of standards involved are defined, and the problem that arises due to the treatment of process standards as legal documents is described. A related issue regarding engineering education is raised at the end as a personal comment.
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Acknowledgements
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the many valuable comments provided by Claudia Eckert, Nina Jirouskova, and Daiana Victoria Martínez Monteleone, and the encouragement for pursuing this topic provided by Albrecht Fritzsche.
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Aslaksen, E.W. (2023). Freedom and Standards in Engineering. In: Fritzsche, A., Santa-María, A. (eds) Rethinking Technology and Engineering. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol 45. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25233-4_4
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