{"product_id":"why-we-drive-toward-a-philosophy-of-the-open-road-isbn-9780062741967","title":"Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA brilliant and defiant celebration of driving as a unique pathway of human freedom, by \"one of the most influential thinkers of our time\" (\u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Why We Drive \u003c\/em\u003eweaves philosophers, thinkers, and scientific research with shade-tree mechanics and racers to defend our right to independence, making the case that freedom of motion is essential to who we are as a species. ... We hope you'll read it.\" —\u003cem\u003eRoad \u0026amp; Track\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce 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? \u003cem\u003eWhy We Drive\u003c\/em\u003e reveals that much more may be at stake than we might think.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTen years ago, in the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e-bestselling \u003cem\u003eShop Class as Soulcraft,\u003c\/em\u003e 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending 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, \u003cem\u003eWhy We Drive \u003c\/em\u003eexplores the genius of our everyday practices on the road, the rewards of “folk engineering,” and the existential value of occasionally being scared shitless.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWitty and ingenious throughout, \u003cem\u003eWhy We Drive \u003c\/em\u003eis a rebellious and daring celebration of the irrepressible human spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"A passionate appeal to the importance of the autonomous individual in the face of the dehumanizing pressure of automation. ... This book will have you pining for the freedom the open road.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[An] absorbing book ... Crawford is a Virginia-based physicist turned political philosopher. But, most of all, he is a petrolhead, a gearhead, who believes in working with his hands and driving – cars and motorbikes – to the limit. ... Autonomous cars, Crawford argues, are not primarily a caring, humane project to save lives, rather they are a scam designed to make our lives less interesting, less surprising and more profitable to the Silicon Valley monopolists. ... \u003cem\u003eWhy We Driv\u003c\/em\u003ee is about a freedom that is being lost to the cynics of surveillance. ... This book is a defence of felt life against the intrusions of the technocrats. ... Crawford spreads his wings way beyond cars. ... Plain funny.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Absorbing. ... \u003cem\u003eWhy We Driv\u003c\/em\u003ee is about a freedom that is being lost to the cynics of surveillance.. ... A defense of felt life against the intrusions of the technocrats. ... Plain funny. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A pleasure to read ... His thesis demands that he convey the pleasure of driving, and he's up to the task ... And he addresses some huge, fascinating issues: how people retain self-respect when computers are deskilling them, and sovereignty over their lives when computers are spying on them. Much of modern life raises these questions, but people's relationship with their cars perhaps best exemplifies them ... an enjoyable, scenic cruise round a fascinating landscape.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A pleasure to read ... Addresses some huge, fascinating issues: how people retain self-respect when computers are deskilling them, and sovereignty over their lives when computers are spying on them. Much of modern life raises these questions, but people's relationship with their cars perhaps best exemplifies them ... An enjoyable, scenic cruise round a fascinating landscape.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Perfectly captures the basic instinct that drives the common gearhead, the need for movement.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Booth, Driving\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eWhy We Drive\u003c\/em\u003e is a serious cris de coeur for all we find engaging and good about the act of driving.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOverland Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A thoughtful, entertaining and substantive work about the joys of driving—and about the attempts by various scolds to relegate that joy, and similar expressions of independence.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Crawford artfully argues … the case that freedom of motion is essential to who we are as a species. … This book is a celebration of humanity and what we’re capable of with the right tools. And what is a car but a finely evolved instrument? We hope you read it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRoad and Track\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Matthew Crawford’s heartfelt riposte to a ‘smart’ future of driverless cars is persuasive and thought-provoking. ... A vivid and heartfelt manifesto against the drift of our world, against the loss of individual agency and the human pleasure of acquired skill and calculated risk.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The subcultures Crawford depicts...stand for individual sovereignty against centralized power’s erosions of it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A biographical, philosophical inquiry that explores a fascinating paradox: the whole allure of driving is freedom, but it's also dangerous, so it has to be regulated. ... This is a lovely book that applies history, philosophy and literature to one obsessive subject.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTelegraph (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Fascinating... Crawford skilfully takes us through the gears as he intelligently, and in a very American way, flies the flag for individualism over dour corporative determinism.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Crawford writes ecstatically of driving, evoking the sense of release and agency of flooring it out of the city as “a shady country road reels out ahead in rhythmic curves.” ... But \u003cem\u003eWhy We Drive \u003c\/em\u003eis about driving like\u003cem\u003e Moby-Dic\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ek\u003c\/em\u003e is about whaling.  ... Crawford has something important to say.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"One of the most original and mind-opening studies of practical philosophy to have appeared for many years.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Gray, UnHerd\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888932090085,"sku":"NP9780062741967","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062741967.jpg?v=1730230126","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/why-we-drive-toward-a-philosophy-of-the-open-road-isbn-9780062741967","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}