Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry
Into The Value Of Work
Author: Matthew B. Crawford
Let it never be said that this blog
isn't diverse! Yes, this weeks two wheel adventure takes the form of
a book review.
One note before we begin. This book was
published in 2009 so i'm a little late to the party with this review.
Fortunately it's content should be of interest to those who enjoy
motorcycles and motorcycle culture.
Matthew B. Crawford has a Ph.D in
political philosophy and owns his own independent motorcycle repair
shop. Whilst this may seem like a contraction at first glance, Shop
Class as Soulcraft, goes a long way in describing how these two
subject go hand in hand, particularly for the author himself.
If shop class is a term you are
unfamiliar with, it is a subject that is taught in American schools.
Essentially what we would call in Britain “Design and Technology”.
Although shop class has a lot more to do with motor mechanics and
according to the author, it's on the decline, along with similar
types of jobs that require working with your hands rather that just
your brain.
In a series of articles exploring the
idea of “the value of work”, interwoven with the authors personal
stories, it looks deep into how we perceive manual work as something
that doesn't require as much brain power as high paying, management
type jobs. When in fact it is precisely those manual jobs that
require more brain power. It also highlights the decline in
“Craftsmen” and the rise in “knowledge workers” and how being
self-reliant is no bad thing.
I will say there were a few things I
didn't like about the book. Now I might not be the sharpest bulb in
the shed, but this is a tough read. Especially at the beginning, I
felt as though I could have easily been reading his actual Ph.D
thesis. He goes into great detail about all of the topics covered in
his book, but if you aren't put off by talk of mathematical theory
behind Volkswagen Bugs, then this could be the book for you.
Despite that, I think the book is full of
enough interesting ideas to keep you turning those pages, but to be
honest the areas I found most interesting were the authors personal
stories. From his beginnings as an electrician then working in a
Porse repair shop as a teen, getting a Ph.D and a high paying job and
then jacking it all in to open his own, independent motorbike repair
shop, his own life is an inspirational tale that will leave you
wondering if there is more to life that sitting behind your office
desk.
Thanks for reading folks.
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