Fixing things

For once, the main reference for this article is not online. It's"In Praise of the Carburetor - An Essay on the Value and Meaning of Work", written by Matthew B. Crawford. Crawford, published in French translation by Editions de la Découverte in 2010. But those who read English will find an essay by the same Crawford on the New York Times, in which he summarizes the contents of his book.

The book has been the subject of reviews, generally glowing, both on sites specializing in sociology and on those aimed at motorcycle enthusiasts. This is hardly surprising, given that Crawford holds a doctorate in philosophy, teaches at the University of Virginia and is a motorcycle mechanic.

Leaving a well-paid, boring intellectual job for a well-paid, exciting manual one

In his book, Crawford reflects on what led him to leave a well-paid job at a Washington think tank to open a motorcycle repair shop in a small Virginia town. He describes in detail the inanity of his job as a thinker, and the full social, moral and intellectual satisfaction he finds in his work as a mechanic. It's not a question of systematically revaluing manual work against intellectual work. His thinking is more subtle.

Crawford readily admits that some craftsmen and manual workers find no interest in their work, and are bored to death by it. This is because they no longer have complete control over what they do, and reduce their professional activity to a simple means of earning a living, with no concern for the quality of their work or the value of their know-how. But Crawford's book focuses above all on the disastrous illusion that leads a growing number of young people to pursue long university studies before gaining access to a job that is supposed to enable them to develop their creativity and participate in the construction of a knowledge society. In fact, many of them have to put their capacity for thought and initiative on hold, conforming to processes just as mind-numbing as assembly-line work. This, according to Crawford, is the source of today's widespread malaise about work: there's no discernible cause-and-effect relationship between the quality of the work you do and the effects it produces; even when you feel you're doing your job well, your efforts can be wiped out by organizational restructuring, process changes or changes in the goals you want to achieve, without you having any control over these decisions.

Crawford values responsible, autonomous work (manual work in his case, but we can safely extend his thinking to other trades). He chose to define himself as a craftsman in the traditional sense, master of his time, of the totality of the tasks to be carried out in order to achieve a concrete result (the motorcycle didn't work - it works again), constantly improving his expertise thanks to the experience accumulated in ever new situations, and above all thanks to an intense activity of meta-reflection on this experience.

Confronting things to know what you're worth

Crawford insists on the absolute necessity of confronting things, objects, to find the meaning of one's work. This confrontation teaches us about the world on the one hand, but also about ourselves, our workings and our limits. He alerts his readers to the fundamental perversion of ultra-liberal society, which leads us to believe that freedom lies in our ability to buy new products rather than keep the ones we already have working. Here again, we can extend our thinking to ideas and concepts: these too have become disposable products, worn out before they've been explored.

He sums up the essence of his conviction in these words:

"A good job requires a field of action in which you can apply your best abilities and see their effect on the world. University degrees don't guarantee that.

He deplores the fact that the political debate is all about destroying or creating jobs, and never about the nature of the jobs thus created or destroyed.

Let's not forget that Crawford is American, and grew up and lives in a country where pet psychologists and closet consultants exist. Which says a lot about the lack of control some people feel over their lives. But let's not be too ironic about this sick society: here too (wherever this "here" may be), delegating to others the small and large problems we encounter with things and even with people is seen as progress, a mark of social ascendancy. Crawford speaks out against this trend.

The "do it yourself" hero

In this respect, he can be considered the hero of the "do it yourself" movement, of which there are many traces on the Web. Whether it's plans for building or repairing objects, sometimes very sophisticated, or communities of experts who pool their knowledge born of experience to find solutions to practical problems (mechanical, electrical, etc.) when the manuals no longer say anything, or to get around the limits deliberately placed by manufacturers on the operation of electronic devices with programmed obsolescence.

Crawford invites us all to reflect on the meaning of our work. No doubt we won't all make decisions as radical as his. But in these times of crisis, it can be salutary to remember that the repair professions provide satisfaction and a decent income, when many so-called intellectual tasks are in fact nothing more than mechanical operations paid by the slingshot. "Eloge du carburateur" is therefore a must-read for all young people wondering about their future and their choice of studies, and for their parents.

Source:

The case for working with your hands. Matthew B. Crafword, New York Times, May 21, 2009. Summary of his book.

Book reviews :

On lectures-revues.org, socio links. Review by Dominique Méda.

On Le repaire des motards: "Eloge du carburateur", je bosse donc j'essuie! by Hervé Descamps.

All-electronics. Basic operation of household appliances, symptoms, diagnostics and solutions to the most common problems.

Also to be read:

The scourge of new technologies: programmed obsolescence. Alexandre Roberge, December 2010.

Photos :

Rookuzz via photo pin cc

R.W.W. via photo pin cc

Daniel Gasienica via photo pin cc