ABSTRACT
Contemporary philosophers do not hold scholastic philosophy in high esteem; nevertheless, each epoch contributed something of lasting value. Thomas Aquinas is credited with discovering that there is no thing inherently good or evil, only the use of it. Paraphrasing Friedrich Nietzsche (2001), science and engineering are beyond good and evil . Good and evil seem to be self-evident by appearance, although only on the surface, but are deceptive in the long run by whatever criteria one uses, despite being the oldest ideas. The devil lurks in the details. We have accumulated much scientifi c and engineering knowledge (verifi able and replicable in tests), both positive and negative, in managing quality, but the same cannot be said about good or evil, which depends on one’s moral principles.
