Filed under book | Tags: · craft, hand, history, labour,
machine, technology, work 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. 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 go