Sunday, November 13, 2016

seeing is not enough

I have been working through my email contacts to promote my new book Making Classic Toys that Teach, and Frank Wilson, author of The Hand reminded me of Albrecht Dürer's classic woodcut illustration, Doubting Thomas, in which Thomas probed Christ's wounds with his hand in an impulse to ascertain their truth.

This illustration shows the classic relationship between hand and mind, in that the mind may seek the truth, but it's the hand that finds it.

Some might think Thomas to be burdened by doubt, whereas his explorations of Christ's wound's might have been considered heroic instead, as an example of the kind of healthy skepticism  required of our humanity.

One of the risks inherent in manual arts training is that students may learn to think for themselves and to be confident to actually test what they are told.

I spend a lot of time on the blog telling why the hands must be engaged in learning. And perhaps not enough time actually setting my readers in motion. It is through doing woodworking, and teaching wood working, poking your hand in Christ's wounds so to speak, that truth will become clear.

If you have a shop, get busy and reflect on what you have done. Invite children to your shop if you have one, and simply reflect on the process and what you and they have done together. If you have no shop, but have kids, start with scissors, paper and string and let your own experience lead you forward.

Make, fix, create, and extend to others an understanding that we must all learn likewise.


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2 comments:

  1. Jonas Jensen8:17 AM

    I like the phrase: "One of the risks inherent in manual arts training is that students may learn to think for themselves and to be confident to actually test what they are told."

    I also like to tell my children that it really is OK to make mistakes in the shop, as long as they are willing to learn from them.
    Gustav for instance wanted to build a small model house using some 0.5 x 0.5" strips as lumber. He wanted to put it together using small brads. I told him that it would most likely not work because when he hit in the new brads, the ones already mounted would probably come loose.
    He tried anyway, and after some time accepted it. So we made some new strips and used a hot glue gun instead.
    Brgds
    Jonas

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  2. Doug Stowe10:27 AM

    As you say, it is OK to make mistakes in wood shop, and to fix them, and learn from them. You, Jonas, being such a strong mentor for your children, (and an example to others) are just what the world needs.

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