Part memoir, part philosophical treatise, part pedagogical tool, Matthew Crawford's book explores the benefits to be derived from manual labour and celebrates the "rich cognitive challenges" afforded by the trades.
A professional philosopher, Crawford also runs a motorbike repair shop, and describes how hands-on activity has given him a deeper "psychic nourishment" that academia never could.
His case is persuasive and illuminating, and his withering critique of office-bound drudgery hits the mark. But I found the prescription for a new "yeoman aristocracy" less convincing. I would recommend Richard Sennett's superior The Craftsman, which covers similar ground with greater elegance and nuance.
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