The Soulcraft of Work
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford.
Most of us work in an office where we spend a lot of time using our minds to problem solve and accomplish things. Too often, the work we do with our hands happens after the office work is complete, in our hobbies or activities around the home such as yard work. How often do we take time to reflect on connecting to our soulcraft from the work of our hands?
This book is a thought-provoking reflection on the soulcraft of manual labor and trades. Matthew Crawford argues that manual labor is the real craft of work, which there is something soulful in working with one’s hands. Crawford has a Ph.D. in philosophy, the “knowledge work,” and is a skilled mechanic, working on motorcycles, the craft. As Crawford states in his introduction, “this book is concerned…with the experience of making things and fixing things.” (p. 3) He goes on to argue that manual work is more engaging intellectually than “knowledge” work. (p.5)
“Craftsmanship entails learning to do one thing really well….” – Matthew B. Crawford
The One Thing
A couple of qualities emerge from mastery, from the value of work, and from learning to do something with precision:
- Excellence
- Creativity
- A hunger for learning
- A meaningful life
“Craftsmanship means dwelling on a task for a long time and going deeply into it because you want to get it right.” – Matthew B. Crawford
Crafting the Frame of Mind
- Spiritedness aligns itself with a spirit of inquiry through the desire to master one’s own stuff; spiritedness is related to self-reliance (p.55)
- One quality of humanity, there is a diversity of dispositions (p. 72)
- Disposition toward fixing things – get in the right conversation to problem solve
- Requires an acute attentiveness toward that which you are trying to fix (p. 82)
“Creativity is a by-product of mastery of the sort that is cultivated through long practice.” – Matthew B. Crawford
Outside Your Head
- To respond to the world justly, you have to see it clearly, and you have to get outside your head (p. 103)
- The challenge in working with one’s hands is to get outside your head
- How is being part of a crew different than being part of a team within office work?
- Teamwork depends on group dynamics – an unstable environment
- For a crew, skill is the basis for mutual respect (p. 159)
“…find work in the cracks.” – Matthew B. Crawford
Depth in the Cracks
- Work may be a way of life; a community of those who desire to know (p. 199)
- Work as craft evokes a regard for excellence
- Working with our hands touches this inner drive toward excellence
- Seek out the cracks where the love of knowledge can be realized in one’s own life (p. 210)
- Sign of good work – life becomes meaningful (p. 181)
- Spend time perfecting your craft
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