Abacus Memes

Engineers in their natural habitat: give them an impossible technical challenge and watch their eyes light up with manic glee. But ask them to write a few sentences about why their creations might affect society? Suddenly they're staring into the void contemplating their existence. This is the classic engineering paradox - brilliant minds who can calculate the tensile strength of a bridge down to the nanometer but freeze when asked "should we build this bridge?" The technical is comfort food; the ethical is a five-star restaurant with no prices on the menu.