Manyobjectsindailyusehaveclearlybeeninfluencedbyscience，buttheirformandfunction，theirdimensionsandappearance，weredeterminedbytechnologists，artisans，designers，inventors，andengineers－usingnonscientificmodesofthought。Manyfeaturesandqualitiesoftheobjectsthatatechnologistthinksaboutcannotbereducedtounambiguousverbaldescriptions;theyaredealtwithinthemindbyavisual，nonverbalprocess。InthedevelopmentofWesterntechnology，ithasbeennonverbalthinking，byandlarge，thathasfixedtheoutlinesandfilledinthedetailsofourmaterialsurroundings。Pyramids，cathedrals，androcketsexistnotbecauseofgeometryorthermodynamics，butbecausetheywerefirstapictureinthemindsofthosewhobuiltthem。

Thecreativeshapingprocessofatechnologist‘smindcanbeseeninnearlyeveryartifactthatexists。Forexample，indesigningadieselengine，atechnologistmightimpressindividualwaysofnonverbalthinkingonthemachinebycontinuallyusinganintuitivesenseofrightnessandfitness。Whatwouldbetheshapeofthecombustionchamber？Whereshouldbevalvesbeplaced？Shouldithavealongorshortpiston？Suchquestionshavearangeofanswersthataresuppliedbyexperience，byphysicalrequirements，bylimitationsofavailablespace，andnotleastbyasenseofform。Somedecisionssuchaswallthicknessandpindiameter，maydependonscientificcalculations，butthenonscientificcomponentofdesignremainsprimary。

Designcourses，then，shouldbeanessentialelementinengineeringcurricula。Nonverbalthinking，acentralmechanisminengineeringdesign，involvesperceptions，thestock－in－tradeoftheartist，notthescientist。Becauseperceptiveprocessesarenotassumedtoentail“hardthinking，“nonverbalthoughtissometimesseenasaprimitivestageinthedevelopmentofcognitiveprocessesandinferiortoverbalormathematicalthought。ButitisparadoxicalthatwhenthestaffoftheHistoricAmericanEngineeringRecordwishedtohavedrawingsmadeofmachinesandisometricviewsofindustrialprocessesforitshistoricalrecordofAmericanengineering，theonlycollegestudentswiththerequisiteabilitieswerenotengineeringstudents，butratherstudentsattendingarchitecturalschools。

Ifcoursesindesign，whichinastronglyanalyticalengineeringcurriculumprovidethebackgroundrequiredforpracticalproblem－solving，arenotprovided，wecanexpecttoencountersillybutcostlyerrorsoccurringinadvancedengineeringsystems。Forexample，earlymodelsofhigh－speedrailroadcarsloadedwithsophisticatedcontrolswereunabletooperateinasnowstormbecauseafansuckedsnowintotheelectricalsystem。Absurdrandomfailuresthatplagueautomaticcontrolsystemsarenotmerelytrivialaberrations;theyareareflectionofthechaosthatresultswhendesignisassumedtobeprimarilyaprobleminmathematics。