The Craftsman
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Craftsmanship, says Richard Sennett, names the basic human impulse to do a job well for its own sake, and good craftsmanship involves developing skills and focusing on the work rather than ourselves. The computer programmer, the doctor, the artist, and even the parent and citizen all engage in a craftsman's work. In this thought-provoking book, Sennett explores the work of craftsmen past and present, identifies deep connections between material consciousness and ethical values, and challenges received ideas about what constitutes good work in today's world.
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The Craftsmanengages the many dimensions of skill—from the technical demands to the obsessive energy required to do good work. Craftsmanship leads Sennett across time and space, from ancient Roman brickmakers to Renaissance goldsmiths to the printing presses of Enlightenment Paris and the factories of industrial London; in the modern world he explores what experiences of good work are shared by computer programmers, nurses and doctors, musicians, glassblowers, and cooks. Unique in the scope of his thinking, Sennett expands previous notions of crafts and craftsmen and apprises us of the surprising extent to which we can learn about ourselves through the labor of making physical things.
Liked The Craftsman? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked The Craftsman. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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Philographics: Big Ideas in Simple Shapes Shares philosophy, design, nonfiction
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In the Bubble - Designing in a Complex World Shares design, nonfiction, philosophy -
The Refusal of Work: Rethinking Post-Work Theory and Practice Shares nonfiction, philosophy, sociology -
Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers Shares design, philosophy, nonfiction
