Summary: <a href="http://www.gayleallen.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Blog-Post-Matthew-Crawford.png" rel="attachment wp-att-3006"></a>What if our distractions are robbing us of our individuality? Philosopher-machinist <a href="http://www.matthewbcrawford.com/">Michael B. Crawford</a> noticed just how much attention we give up — often against our will — to all the distractions strategically placed in front of us, from commercials on ATM screens to blaring airport televisions. He has written a guidebook to identifying the sources of lost attention, and he makes suggestions for how to get it back.<br> Matthew is a Senior Fellow at the <a href="http://www.iasc-culture.org/">Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia</a>. He is also a fabricator of components for custom motorcycles. His first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Class-Soulcraft-Inquiry-Value/dp/0143117467">Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work</a>, prompted a rethinking of education and labor policies in the U.S. and Europe, leading the <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/">London Sunday Times</a> to call him “one of the most influential thinkers of our time.” His latest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/World-Beyond-Your-Head-Distraction/dp/0374292981">The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction</a> gets at the heart of what it means to be human.<br> In this conversation, we talk about:<br> <br> Silence as a resource as important as air, food, and water<br> The high price we are increasingly forced to pay to avoid distractions<br> All the ways distractive tech makes us more alike<br> The connection between deep work and independent thinking<br> The overlooked intellectual side of hard labor<br> How personalizing experiences can make them unreal<br> How reclaiming the real requires submitting to something or someone else<br> Why doing and taking action results in knowing<br> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture">Maker Movement</a> as an attempt to reconnect with what makes us human<br> How machine-based design can lead to addiction, compulsion, and loss of control<br> The fact that most schooling is disconnected from real-world learning<br> Why trust lies at the heart of deep learning<br> How traditions of learning offer opportunities for deep connections<br> <br> Selected Links to Topics Mentioned<br> <a href="http://www.matthewbcrawford.com/">Matthew B. Crawford</a><br> <a href="http://www.reclaimed-fabrication.com/">Reclaimed Fabrication</a><br> <a href="http://calnewport.com/">Cal Newport</a><br> <a href="http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/">Deep Work by Cal Newport</a><br> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Class-Soulcraft-Inquiry-Value/dp/0143117467">Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford</a><br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Design-Machine-Gambling-Vegas/dp/0691160880">Addiction by Design by Natasha Dow Schull </a><br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle">Aristotle</a><br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes">Descartes</a><br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Polanyi">Michael Polanyi</a><br> If you enjoy the podcast, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Steindl-Rast">please rate and review it on iTunes.</a> For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-innovation-inspiration/id1049183266?mt=2">subscribe</a>. As always, thanks for listening!<br> Thank you to Emmy-award-winning Creative Director <a href="https://vimeo.com/vanidavae">Vanida Vae</a> for designing the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-innovation-inspiration/id1049183266?mt=2">Curious Minds</a> logo, and thank you to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmancabelli">Rob Mancabelli</a> for all of his production expertise!<br>
