The Craftsman

Like Roland Barthes, Richard Sennett approaches the making of objects from a very different field, in his case as an academic, social scientist and the founding director of the New York Institute for the Humanities, who is best known for his work on the sociology of cities. In The Craftsman, he explores the changing concept of craftsmanship throughout history, from ancient Roman brickmakers, medieval guilds, Enlightenment Paris, and the Industrial Revolution, to software programmers, lab technicians, and even musicians.
Sennett’s analysis of the craftsman’s use of tools, work schedules, materials, technology, and personal skills is relevant to every stage of product design, as is his assessment of the values and qualities with which we imbue their work. He believes that engaging with craftsmanship can enhance our sense of well-being, by nurturing confidence and intuition as well as practical skills. Most people’s fingertips are much more sensitive and perceptive than their eyes or ears, for instance, yet few of us know this, or even have the words to express it. Some forms of craftsmanship can unlock those instinctive skills, as can strumming a guitar or playing a piano. A great strength of the book is that Sennett is reassuringly open-minded, whether on the case for software design to be considered a form of craftsmanship, or the Enlightenment assumption that there’s a potential craftsman in us all. He agrees that there is, but not that we’d necessarily all be happier for unleashing it.
Shorten the textSomeone gave me this book assuming I could relate. When I have the time, and develop an attention span, I plan to relate.
This book describes the intrinsic reward gained from working “hands on” as well as the specific relationship between craftsmen and their tools, which in my view is a great inspiration for designers to create hardware and software that empower people.
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