2018 School Spending Survey Report
The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction
Farrar. Apr. 2015. 320p. notes. index. ISBN 9780374292980. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780374708443. PHIL
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Crawford (senior fellow, Univ. of Virginia's Inst. for Advanced Studies in Culture; Shop Class as Soul Craft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work) here takes a unique look at attention, positing that it is a commodity. He sets out to establish that in a world of increasingly pervasive distractions, individualism can only be attained through focus. Crawford uses examples of skilled labor and craftsmanship to explain how people can gain back some of their lost autonomy (a word he works over quite thoroughly) through concentration. He explains his theories well, with strong writing and citations, and the resulting argument is fresh and extremely enlightening. What is most satisfying is that technology is not blamed for the modern deluge of distractions—it is discussed as the cumulative effect of a number of influences found within Western culture.
VERDICT This illuminating work will appeal to students of philosophy and sociology, as well as fans of good cultural analysis. [See Prepub Alert, 9/29/14.]
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