C-SPAN2 airing of book discussion "'Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization' by John Browne"

I picked up the broadcasting of the evening of 4/2/20.  The discussion took place on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Mr. Browne was the CEO of BP Petroleum.
A moderator-questioner of Mr. Browne was Professor A. Minisinis of Rice University.

The major viewpoint he got across in his book is that without engineering that makes knowledge practical for our civilization we would not enjoy the better life available to us.  And, in the future, we must depend on the constant flow of knowledge into our culture or risk the extinction of the human race.  Scientists tell us that the earth will at some time in our future no longer will be inhabitable.  We must progress through knowledge rendered  essential to our civilization: that is our calling.

The promise for our civilization to continue "ad infinitum" lies in mankind's ability to imagine.  Knowledge in an of itself does not have the power nor inherent feature to forestall civilization's extinction were it not that the human being in his reflective moments of pondering knowledge can imagine how he can apply the knowledge to guarantee our race a lasting and improving existence.

Mr. Browne how the individual knower can come up with a practical application to human experience:  he knows how to apply knowledge because by his mental prowess, he is a problem-solver.  For in solving knawing irritation-causing dilemmas, he makes his world a better place for the generations to come.

Mr. Browne admits that the most critical of problems before mankind right now is what to do with the carbon residue that is emitted from combustible engines.  This pollutant has been a source of questioning whether the race can sustain its continued progress.  "We must solve this in the near future," he argues, "for contemporary life is dependent on oil and gas for its lifestyle.  Oil and gas account for 75% of our energy, giving us a phenomenal prosperity."

Succinctly put: through engineering techniques, the human imagination transforms the knowledge he has been taught into a physical reality his civilization can enjoy and benefit from far into the future.

Browne cautions that there are good and bad uses wraught in mankind's world through the application of knowledge, but overall, he is convinced that mankind is driven by the aspiration to make progress for civilization.  "Keep progress on track!" his mantra.