The Case for Working With Your Hands

Published on June 18, 2009 by Discussion Cafe

Discussion Resource:
The New York Times Magazine | 24 May 2009
"The Case for Working With Your Hands"
Changes in the economy have had the surprising effect of making the manual trades more attractive as careers.
By Matthew B. Crawford

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the relationship between the nature of the work and the worker?
   (Crawford talks about how he "had to suppress [his] sense of responsibility..." What does this say about the work he is doing, and what does it say about him? What does it say about him that he left the job? What is integrity?)
2. How do we deal with jobs that damage to the "best part" of ourselves? Are there other options than leaving?
3. What about the world of information makes it more likely to be a "moral maze" than the world of manual trades? What is the realtionship between "concreteness" and morality?
4. Is Crawford asserting anything more than his preference, i.e. "I like manual labor"?
5. How would you respond to: "It's not what you do, but how you do it"?

(NOTE: It is suggested that you tackle a few, but probably not all of, the following. In a group of 3-10, it is likely that one or two of these questions can result in the conversation taking off on it's own. Let it! These are merely here to help steer the conversation when needed.)

(This article was the source material for the June 10 IAM New York Wednesday Morning Discussion Group.)