In the interview Sennett brings up some points that really hit home to me since I teach writing and how to teach writing. However, I think many folks will find this article interesting because he makes us think about our culture's obsession with speed, our educational systems, and how we [should] take pride in things we make.
I don't wholly buy that craftsmanship is "a basic human impulse to do good work," but I feel "the desire to do a job well for its own sake" is a character trait we need to instill, cultivate, and enhance.
Click HERE if you're interested in reading this fairly short interview.
2 comments:
I love interviews like these, I agree with most of what he says but the parts I disagree with seem absolutely loony to me.
"The capitalist economy sacrifices the logic of craft, which results in poorly made objects and a degraded physical environment."
Or, it can result in even better made objects at a cheaper price that can therefore be enjoyed by more people. And by the way, the richest countries in the world are doing the best job protecting the environment.
"Pedagogically, we teach people that the moment they learn to do something, they can move on to something else rather than dwell on that lesson."
Not necessarily. 'Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they don't get it wrong.' is a quote I read a long time ago but my google-fu isn't strong enough to find a definitive source right now.
"We are beginning to see this in companies that are committed to employee enrichment and developing the craft powers of their employees, like Toyota and BMW."
Hey, something I have real professional experience with! Having spoken to several Toyota people, the message I get from them is that the 'Toyota Way' is designed to empower their people to make improvements to the way they work because it is the best way to corporately improve the bottom line. Better products ultimately lead to better profits. Capitalism FTW!
"...and I’d like to see our government, like the British government, invest more in small-production businesses."
Seriously? Small business set-asides already happen at every level of U.S. government procurement. And almost every single time I have seen the prices from a small business, they have been higher than that from a large business. We waste enough tax dollars already.
My biggest complaint is that he says "The modern economy privileges pure profit, momentary transactions, and rapid fluidity." like it is a bad thing. Of course faster is better if you don't sacrifice quality. I know he would argue that the quality is sacrificed, but for the majority of tasks doing 90% as good a job at twice the speed is objectively better.
Tasks should be completed as fast as possible, but no faster. Just like I'm sure you teach your students that an essay should be as long as needed, but no longer.
'A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.' Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Yes, there are some assumptions in his thinking that need to examined, I think, but I like the idea that craftsmanship takes sustained practice and how he implies (or perhaps I infer) that metacognition is crucial to effective learning and retention of or mastery of skills.
As you note, the Toyota remark is odd in that the company supports workers in making the line more efficient. "Employee enrichment" also creates good morale, which increases efficiency and craftsmanship and pride in a job well done.
I don't buy the bigger is better mindset. Small companies and stores can be very competitive and can offer better deals. Sure there's economy of scale, but companies can get too big for their own good too. As a subscriber to Consumer Reports, I have to say that "Independent Dealer" does consistently very well in customer satisfaction surveys.
I also think what he's hinting at in the interview is that our obsession with speed and efficiency can make us unreflective, knee-jerky, non-listening fools.
There's personal value in loafing.
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