Wednesday 20 February 2013

Bibliophilia: Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work – Matthew B. Crawford

I was really excited when I learned about this book and got it immediately, reading it in one night. Crawford has a PhD. in political philosophy, but chooses to work as a motorcycle mechanic. The book expounds on something I have been thinking about a lot lately. That for many people, working with ones hands is profoundly important, and our society needs to come back to an appreciation of that fact. At one time, making and fixing things was seen as important and valuable, and now we try to shunt more and more kids into “knowledge worker” jobs. And like me, so many of them likely feel disconnected and alienated. I realize that I am happiest when I am solving problems with my brain and creating solutions with my hands. He doesn’t completely articulate why I feel this way, but it did help me order some of the disjointed ideas in my head about the issue.

A book I will read again soon. 

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