This essay serves as an introduction to the anthology „Technisches Handeln und Verantwortung“ (Technological Action and Responsibility) and contextualizes the articles in it systematically and historically in the period from the end of the 19th century to the present. In contrast to medieval and early modern approaches, the theologically based category of guilt significantly recedes when assessing the ambivalences of technology. Instead the concept of responsibility is gaining more and more ground and is being discussed in interdisciplinary moral, legal, psychological and sociological terms. The engineering sciences also reflect on the category and, in statements by the Association of German Engineers (VDI), emphasize the special social responsibility that is part of the technical engineering profession. Last but not least, cultural artifacts such as literature and film also make specific contributions to the debate on the responsibility of engineers and the justifiability of technical developments.