Exploring the intense focus of ice-hockey players, the flow of a cook in their element, and the inherited craft of building pipe organs, the author argues that in order to flourish, we need to return to lives where we establish meaningful connections with objects and the people around us.

Matthew Crawford is a philosopher and mechanic. He has a PhD in political philosophy from the University of Chicago and served as a postdoctoral fellow on its Committee on Social Thought. Currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, he also runs Shockoe Moto, a motorcycle repair shop.