OVERVIEW

Our attention now shifts to making our definition of the engineering method

The engineering method is the use of heuristics to cause the best change in a poorly understood situation within the available resources

more precise and succinct. As it now stands it is far too insipid for my taste, and we must now develop a second cut at the problem. To take a more aggressive posture, I will need to compel belief in the strong claim that the engineering method and the use of engineering heuristics is an absolute identity. After a brief consideration of the nature of the heuristic method and our argument to establish this identity, we will show how ubiquitous an engineer's use of heuristics really is by sampling a smorgasbord of engineering heuristics. I leave to others the gargantuan task of compiling an exhaustive list of available dishes and content myself with the selection within my more limited reach. I hope the philosopher will not find the cuisine too specialized or meager and avoid our table.

The objective of Part III is to examine competing definitions of the engineering method. This will serve as a sorbet course, to clean the palate so to speak, before continuing to the heartier fare in Part IV, where the engineering method will be generalized to a universal method. What we will find is that none of these alternate definitions is absolute, and, therefore, each is appropriately included in this part as an additional engineering heuristic.

The final...