Book Review: Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford

Shop Class as Soulcraft is an essay-style book that highlights the virtues of physical craftsman work (or work in “the trades”) while discussing some of the shortcomings of work in the “intelligence professions”, i.e. cubicle office work, utilizing philosophies from historical thinkers to bolster the author’s conclusions.


The book is humorous, entertaining, intellectual, and interesting. The author has quite a unique background. He is a former communist. Not to say he is a member of the party, but he was brought up on a commune. He is a classically trained philosopher, boasting a PhD. Yet he is also a licensed electrician. But more importantly, he is also a gear head. He spent his adolescence around speed shops, later transitioning from cars to motorcycles. I have no census data, but I think I can say with some certainty that he is one of the few motorcycle mechanics out there holding a PhD. The wide variety of experiences in the author’s background adds color to the stories throughout the book.

Although I enjoyed reading the book, and found the theories presented compelling, it is difficult to make a decision on how I feel about the author's conclusions. The subtitle of the book is “An Inquiry Into the Value of Work”. I agreed with many points made in the book. I agree with the author’s theories that so-called white-collar work can lack the satisfaction of seeing the direct results of labor that is offered by the so-called blue-collar professions. I also agree that people in the “thinking professions” underestimate the problem solving and mental skill required to skillfully complete trade work. Where the author falls short is in his discussion of the macroeconomics. Although the author shows no serious love for the left as it is defined today in American politics, it seems his communist upbringing comes through a bit when he discusses his view of unfairness of the money supply (the haves and have nots). In these arguments, the author strays from his core competency of understanding, and delves into areas that perhaps were not necessary to complete his book. In short, I liked everything in the book except the final chapter. It was a bit like a great movie with a bad ending.

I recommend Shop Class as Soulcraft. The author's writing style, unique thinking, and whit make it worth while, even if I did not agree with all the conclusions.  Even still, it will make you think in new ways.

President Obama is Wrong to Characterize Our Choices as One or The Other

President Obama and the Democrats are in political trouble, and they know it.  They are projecting to November and anticipating the difficulties their party will likely have, as they are at great risk of losing control of the House of Representatives, as well as lose significant seats in the Senate.

So the President is doing what he can to change perceptions.  He continues to use the unpopularity of the Bush presidency as a crutch.  He uses it to paint our choices as voters as a black and white choice between his policies, and "going back" to the Bush policies.  The President presents this as if there are no other policy choices out there.  This is not the case.
Nothing is static, especially in politics.  The Republican party is not the same.  The mistakes of the Bush administation, the tea party movement, and the aggressively radical policies of the left (lead by President Obama) are factors that have influenced the Republican party today.  The party today is no longer the party it was when Bush was in office.  Change is unavoidable for both parties.  Despite how the President sets the scene, nobody can go back, even if one wanted to go back.

The President is wrong.  The choices for direction of the country is not a straight line, either A or B.  It's an array of choices in infinite directions.  The President wants us to believe we have to either support his policies or support the old Bush policies, a kind of either-with-me-or-against-me credo.  This is not so.  Americans are wiser.  Republicans are wiser.  Conservatives are wiser.  We have all learned from the failings of the previous big government administrations, whether they were Republican or Democrat.  My fear is that it's too late.  We've gone too far down the Big Government road to reel it in.  Perhaps.  One thing of which I am certain; the Obama-left-big government direction of the country can not be sustained, and the direction will eventually change.