Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road

by Matthew B. Crawford Narrated by Ron Butler

Overview

From the author of the landmark*Shop Class as Soulcraft,*a brilliant, first-of-its-kind celebration of driving as a unique pathway of human freedom, one now critically threatened by automation.*

"A thoughtful, entertaining, and substantive work about the joys of driving."*(Wall Street Journal)

Once we were drivers, the open road alive with autonomy, adventure, danger, trust, and speed. Today we are as likely to be in the back seat of an Uber as behind the wheel ourselves. Tech giants are hurling us toward a shiny, happy "self-driving" future, selling utopia but equally keen to advertise to a captive audience strapped into another expensive device. Are we destined, then, to become passengers, not drivers?*Why We Drive*reveals that much more may be at stake than we might think.

Ten years ago, in the*New York Times best selling*Shop Class as Soulcraft,*philosopher-mechanic Matthew B. Crawford—a University of Chicago PhD who owned his own motorcycle shop-made a revolutionary case for manual labor, one that ran headlong against the pretentions of white-collar office work. Now, using driving as a window through which to view the broader changes wrought by technology on all aspects of contemporary life, Crawford investigates the driver's seat as one of the few remaining domains of skill, exploration, play—and freedom.

Blending philosophy and hands-on storytelling, Crawford grounds the narrative in his own experience in the garage and behind the wheel, recounting his decade-long restoration of a vintage Volkswagen as well as his journeys to thriving automotive subcultures across the country.*Crawford leads us on an irreverent but deeply considered inquiry into the power of faceless bureaucracies, the importance of questioning mindless rules, and the battle for democratic self-determination against the surveillance capitalists. A meditation on the competence of ordinary people,*Why We Drive*explores the genius of our everyday practices on the road, the rewards of "folk engineering," and the existential value of occasionally being scared shitless.

Witty and ingenious throughout,*Why We Drive*is a rebellious and daring celebration of the irrepressible human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Ron Butler’s narration of this meditation on the meaning of driving takes listeners by the lapels and gently shakes their preconceived notions. His smoothly instructive and carefully paced rendition of this audiobook gives life to this examination of the assumption that a problem’s technological solution—whether it’s cameras on street lights, autonomous autos, or smart cities—comes without a cost to our individuality. Crawford owns about six vehicles, cars and motorcycles, in various states of repair and sees real value in taking them apart and putting them back together and in indulging in the lure of the open road. At the conclusion of this audiobook, Butler delivers the thesis of Crawford’s thought-provoking cri de coeur: “To drive is to exercise one’s skill at being free.” A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Ron Butler’s narration of this meditation on the meaning of driving takes listeners by the lapels and gently shakes their preconceived notions. His smoothly instructive and carefully paced rendition of this audiobook gives life to this examination of the assumption that a problem’s technological solution—whether it’s cameras on street lights, autonomous autos, or smart cities—comes without a cost to our individuality. Crawford owns about six vehicles, cars and motorcycles, in various states of repair and sees real value in taking them apart and putting them back together and in indulging in the lure of the open road. At the conclusion of this audiobook, Butler delivers the thesis of Crawford’s thought-provoking cri de coeur: “To drive is to exercise one’s skill at being free.” A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172657825
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/09/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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