The disappearance of tools from our common education is the first step toward a wider ignorance of the world of artifacts we inhabit. And, in fact, an engineering culture has developed in recent years in which the object is to "hide the works," rendering many of the devices we depend on every day unintelligible to direct inspection. Lift the hood on some cars now (especially German ones) and the engine appears a bit like the shimmering, featureless obelisk that so enthralled the proto-humans in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Essentially, there is another hood under the hood. This creeping concealment takes various forms. The fasteners holding small appliances together now often require esoteric screwdrivers not commonly available, apparently to prevent the curious or the angry from interrogating the innards. By way of contrast, older readers will recall that until recent decades, Sears catalogues included blown-up parts diagrams and conceptual schematics for all appliances and many other mechanical goods. It was simply taken for granted that such information would be demanded by the consumer.
-Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work
Ed. Note: As a college junior, my parents, concerned about my apparent aimlessness, had me take one of those personality tests designed to uncover what profession one might be good at. All I remember about the results was a warning that I should avoid anything to do with "spatial relations." That made abundant sense, as I was totally lost viewing a "conceptual schematic." Would have been easier to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.
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