Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work

Authors: Crawford, Matthew B.
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
BISAC/Subject: BUS038000, PHI001000, PHI021000
ISBN: 9781101057292, Related ISBNs: 0143117467, 1101057297, 1594202230, 1984843613, 1984843621
Classification: Non-Fiction
Number of pages: 256,
Audience: General/trade
Synopsis: A philosopher/mechanic's wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one's hands 

"This is a deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real, hands-on knowledge. The book is also quirky, surprising, and sometimes quite moving." —Richard Sennett, author of The Craftsman


Called "the sleeper hit of the publishing season" by The Boston GlobeShop Class as Soulcraft became an instant bestseller, attracting readers with its radical (and timely) reappraisal of the merits of skilled manual labor. On both economic and psychological grounds, author Matthew B. Crawford questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a "knowledge worker," based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing. Using his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford presents a wonderfully articulated call for self-reliance and a moving reflection on how we can live concretely in an ever more abstract world.
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