Craftsman, the

Defining craftsmanship far more broadly than "skilled manual labor," Richard Sennett maintains that the computer programmer, the doctor, the artist, and even the parent and citizen engage in a craftsman's work. Craftsmanship names the basic human impulse to do a job well for its own sake, says the author, and good craftsmanship involves developing skills and focusing on the work rather than ourselves. In this thought-provoking book, one of our most distinguished public intellectuals 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. "The Craftsman" engages 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.

ISBN 0300119097   Pages 326 ISBN13 9780300119091 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Yale University Press   Weight (grammes) 608 Imprint Yale University Press   Published in New Haven Format Hardback   Height (mm) 237 Publication date 01 Mar 2008   Width (mm) 166 Library of Congress 2007036415   Spine width (mm) 27 DEWEY 601   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC21

		Prologue: Man as His Own Maker		1
1		The Troubled Craftsman		19
2		The Workshop		53
3		Machines		81
4		Material Consciousness		119
5		The Hand		149
6		Expressive Instructions		179
7		Arousing Tools		194
8		Resistance and Ambiguity		214
9		Quality-Driven Work		241
10		Ability		268
		Conclusion: The Philosophical Workshop		286
		Notes		297
		Index		317

Richard Sennett is the winner of the 2010 Spinoza Prize, sponsored by the International Spinoza Award Foundation--Spinoza Prize"International Spinoza Award Foundation" (01/01/2010)

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