Shop Class as Soulcraft Book Summary - Shop Class as Soulcraft Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Shop Class as Soulcraft summary

Name: Shop Class as Soulcraft
Rating: 4.4 (17 reviews)
Author: Matthew B. Crawford

Matthew B. Crawford

An Inquiry Into the Value of Work

4.4 (17 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford is a philosophical exploration of the value of skilled manual labor in an increasingly automated and abstract world. It argues for the dignity of manual work, and the importance of cultivating practical skills and knowledge.

Topics

Effectiveness Skills

Table of Contents

Shop Class as Soulcraft
Summary of 9 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Discover the perks of a job in the trades.

When asked what they want their children to be when they grow up, most parents today would probably answer something like: a manager, a lawyer, an IT specialist. Many parents probably wouldn’t be thrilled to hear if their kids told them: “I want to become a car mechanic.” But, as you’ll learn from these blinks, parents needn’t be afraid of such ambitions. The job market is changing and the career prospects of skilled manual laborers are looking better and better compared with those of knowledge workers, i.e., those whose jobs are all about handling information.

There’s also the (very important) question of happiness. Sure, it sounds comfortable to spend your life at a desk and never get your hands dirty. But many students who opt for white-collar jobs are heading for a miserable working life trapped in cubicles, overworked, underpaid and deeply unsatisfied. These blinks make a strong case for the alternative: a career in the trades. They address office workers young and old who are tired of dealing with menial tasks that can never satisfy their yearning for meaning.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

why working in a cubicle can be much more exhausting than working on an assembly line all day;
what Sherlock Holmes has in common with your local car mechanic; and
why you may tell hundreds of dirty jokes if you’re in a crew, but not a single one if you’re member of a team.

Even though we don’t fix and build things ourselves anymore, an interest in manual labor is on the rise.

Can you recall the last time you worked on your car, built a piece of furniture from scratch or made your own clothing? Chances are it’s probably been a while – if you’ve ever done it at all.

That’s because the modern world is full of devices that discourage users from repairing or even understanding them. Many modern products are so complex and delicate that the majority of people are too intimidated to attempt repairing them. Just imagine trying to fix a problem with your flat-screen TV.

In addition, many contemporary products are designed to conceal their messy inner workings with a seamless facade. For instance, if you open the hood of a new German car you won’t see an engine but a plastic case.

Products are even put together in such a way as to discourage their disassembly. For instance, they might come with extra hardware that can only be loosened with uncommon tools.

Part of the reason we’ve become more passive and dependent on other people to fix things is due to these changes. We used to make things; now we buy them. We used to fix things; now we throw them away.

It’s not just that we’re discouraged from making repairs – we might also have the feeling that doing things ourselves is economically wasteful. After all, imagine all the time and effort that would go into knitting an imperfect sweater when you could buy a perfectly good one for a few bucks.

However, the interest in manual work is slowly but surely on the rise. It’s clear that people are growing increasingly discontent with not understanding the products they use and depending on businesses to provide them with everything from food to clothing.

On top of that, the rapidly deteriorating state of the economy is demanding more self-reliance. As a result, we’re seeing people grow their own food, fix things themselves and even raise chickens on the rooftops of New York City.

A good education doesn’t guarantee a decent career anymore.

Most people were raised with the knowledge that earning a college degree was their ticket to a comfortable, well-paying job. Unfortunately, this expectation is being broken for people everyday. That’s because a successful career is increasingly determined by criteria other than educational level.

According to the economist Alan Blinder, the so-called gap between educated and less-educated people is shrinking. Blinder predicts that, in the future, a more obvious distinction will be between people doing jobs that can be executed via the internet versus those that can’t. Only people doing work that requires face-to-face interaction will be able to count on a stable career, such as doctors or other people who provide an in-person service. Because, as Blinder says, “You can’t hammer a nail over the internet.”

The separation of thinking from doing hurts both blue- and white-collar workers.

Even if you’ve never had a factory job, it’s easy to imagine how mind-numbing work on an assembly line could be. After all, spending eight hours a day tightening bolts is a sure route to boredom.

Over the last hundred years or so, a marked division of labor was drawn that took the intellectual component out of many jobs. The first result was the degradation of blue-collar work.

Schools today are less focused on teaching – resulting in a disengaged workforce.

Did you know that manual trades are now looked down upon by most schools? Shop classes have been slashed over the last 20 years, as educators fear that students working with tools and their hands will distract them from their real goal: becoming knowledge workers.

In fact, many schools actively discourage students from choosing a career in the trades, instead urging them to focus on becoming knowledge workers. Although the latter is more likely to be the route to a lifetime of job insecurity, educators are still inclined to prepare their students for theoretically oriented jobs.

Knowledge work, cubicle jobs and obnoxious management techniques alienate workers.

After the author earned his master’s in philosophy, he became a knowledge worker, joining a company called Information Access Company where he read academic articles, indexed them and wrote short abstracts that the company sold to libraries. But the author wasn’t happy.

He, like many knowledge workers today, encountered working conditions worse than most manual laborers. That’s because, just like assembly-line workers, many knowledge workers are put under extreme pressure to meet deadlines.

Teamwork is more confining than work in crews.

Humans have been cooperating forever, but the idea of teamwork among knowledge workers dates back to the 1970s. It was during this decade that people began standing up to the idea that one person should dominate their coworkers. The result was teamwork, a tool that empowers all employees to participate in workplace decisions.

Unfortunately, teamwork isn’t as empowering as people claim it is. That’s because the members of a team are judged based on their individual behavior, but in a team of knowledge workers, it’s hard to see the influence of any one individual team member.

Finding a meaningful job pays off big time.

For a lot of people, work is just a means to an end – a way to do all the leisurely activities they would be doing all the time if they weren’t working. For instance, a well-respected financial analyst works grueling hours on Wall Street for months on end so he can finally climb Mount Everest during his two weeks of vacation.

What’s the problem with this lifestyle?

Working with your hands is satisfying and can enhance your sense of self.

Wouldn’t it be exhilarating to work in a think tank where you tackled complex and exciting problems all day, every day? Well, in the author’s experience, it can actually leave you oddly unsatisfied. In fact, he was so unfulfilled working at a think thank that he left to become a motorcycle mechanic, a job he loves.

Why?

Manual work is intellectually engaging and helps build autonomy.

It’s commonly assumed that manual labor is just for those who are better with their hands than their minds. But that’s absolute nonsense. In fact, the trades tax a worker’s brain just as much as your typical knowledge work.

That’s because to excel in a manual trade you have to pay careful attention to the physical world and understand how it functions. For example, by practicing his craft, a carpenter becomes an expert in countless types of wood by observing their resilience through different weather and myriad other changes.

Want to see all full key ideas from Shop Class as Soulcraft ?

Key ideas in Shop Class as Soulcraft

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Shop Class as Soulcraft about?

Shop Class as Soulcraft (2009) is an eye-opening view into how working with your hands can transform your life. These blinks take a look at the changing nature of work, the value of manual labor and how choosing a trade, as opposed to a profession, might be your ticket to happiness.

Best quote from Shop Class as Soulcraft

Does the use of tools answer to some permanent requirement of our nature?

—Matthew B. Crawford

Who should read Shop Class as Soulcraft ?

Academics and students who aren’t sure if a life of theoretical work is for them
Readers who want to learn more about the philosophy and psychology of manual work
Anybody who’s fed up with working in a cubicle and wants a way out

About the Author

Matthew B. Crawford is a philosopher and motorcycle mechanic. He earned a Ph.D. in political philosophy and took a job at a Washington D.C. think tank but wasn’t satisfied. So he changed course to open an independent motorcycle repair shop and is still pursuing academia as a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.

Categories with Shop Class as Soulcraft

Mindfulness & Happiness Motivation & Inspiration

Book summaries like Shop Class as Soulcraft

The World Beyond Your Head

Matthew B. Crawford

On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction

A Brief History of Tomorrow

Myths about genius and what it really means to be great

16 min

4.3

Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs

Karen Berman & Joe Knight with John Case

What You Really Need to Know about the Numbers

7 min

3.2

Superforecasting

Philip E. Tetlock & Dan Gardner

The Art and Science of Prediction

18 min

3.8

The Fortune Cookie Principle

Bernadette Jiwa

The 20 Keys to a Great Brand Story and Why Your Business Needs One

An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman

A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life

How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

13 min

4.1

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell

Understanding the Hero’s Journey Through Psychology and Mythology

16 min

4.5

Human Hacking

Christopher Hadnagy with Seth Schulman

Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You

How High Will You Fly?

19 min

4.3

Learn Like a Pro

Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe

Science-based Tools to Become Better at Anything

How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain

Own Your Power to Serve, Fight, Protect, and Heal

Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation

How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism

Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil

Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy

23 min

4.0

The Personality Brokers

Merve Emre

The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing

The Art of Winning in an Age of Uncertainty

The Personal Crisis That Made a President

18 min

4.3

Immunity to Change

Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey

How to Overcome it and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization

Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

The Art of Split-Second Persuasion

Improve your life by only focusing on the essentials

How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts

24 min

4.4

The Song of Significance

Seth Godin

A New Manifesto for Teams

Shipping Creative Work

25 min

4.6

The Law of Attraction

Esther and Jerry Hicks

The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting

30 min

4.5

Plays Well with Others

Eric Barker

The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know about Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong

A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity

19 min

4.5

No More Mr. Nice Guy!

Robert A. Glover

A Proven Plan for Getting what You Want in Love, Sex, and Life

Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking

A Magical Fable About Following Your Dreams

21 min

4.6

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills

A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. A Toltec Wisdom Book

13 min

4.5

Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing

Robert T. Kiyosaki

What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used

The Case For Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary

How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure

20 min

3.9

The 2-Hour Job Search

Steve Dalton

Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster

24 min

4.5

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

Donald Robertson

The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

A Flaw in Human Judgment

19 min

4.4

The Book of Five Rings

Miyamoto Musashi

A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword

The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-Class Performers

16 min

3.8

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

28 min

4.5

The Pyramid Principle

Barbara Minto

Logic in Writing and Thinking

18 min

4.4

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.