Boxes and Anaxagoras...

Besides noting that man is the wisest of all animals because he has hands, Anaxagoras was the first Greek philosopher to note the existence of mind. This graphic presentation is intended to illustrate Anaxagoras view of mind. My thanks to Julie Fox for her illustrative lecture notes, found on Google images. Click on it to view it at a larger size.

As Mario notes in a comment to yesterday's post, the hands and mind are a partnership and each suffers from the lack of full and total engagement of the other.

"As a not quite lifelong craftsman, but just at it for quite a few years, I agree with your view of learning and teaching. But let me add another idea. The same skill that allows me to pack for a two-week trip in a fairly small suitcase, or which lets me pack all my instruments in the trunk of my car is a part of what we do. I've heard it described as "spatial perception." In other words, visualizing the final product, whether it's a box or a table or a packed suitcase. It's obviously work of the mind, but formed by experience with the hands."

And there you have it. Mind and Hand. One without the other culminates in stupidity.

 I received images from one of my students in the MASW class on box making which I taught in May. Tom Sharp had planned to use what he learned to make a wine presentation box, the first of which is shown at left.  The cut out design on front forms the initials of the person for whom the box was made as a gift.  I hope more students will share photos of their finished work. Tom wanted me to know that he was listening in class. The hand plane shavings protect the bottle, fill the space around it, and create an effective surprise. Can you imagine opening a box and being rewarded with both a bottle of wine, and the scent of pine?

Nicely done!

Make, fix and create...