One practical benefit of philosophy is that it can clarify thought. Davis has spent his career clarifying thoughts about engineering—his own as well as those of others. In this volume, he offers a book-length exploration of what engineering is, what professions are, and why philosophers, engineers, and the public should care about such ideas…. Not an engineering ethics textbook as such, the work nevertheless keeps ethics in the foreground, examining engineering in various contexts, ranging from how engineering ethics is taught to whether software engineering will ever become engineering. Davis disagrees with many commonplace clichés about engineering, yet his statements of disagreement are always illuminating and provide food for deeper thought. Philosophers and thoughtful engineers will find much to ponder in this book. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.