Taking their inspiration from the ancient skill of blacksmithing, the authors of this book take a fresh look at the mental processes involved in the accomplishment of goals. They analyze the way people apply what they know in order to reach a particular end, whether it is material or conceptual, routine or novel. The authors, anthropologists Janet and Charles Keller, provide an account of human accomplishment based on a detailed study of contemporary blacksmiths. The cognitive realm of blacksmithing is of particular interest because it relies on visual imagery and physical virtuosity rather than verbal logic, the conventional yardstick of cognition.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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"An important contribution to an anthropology of knowledge that departs from and takes into account the impressive body of work on the cognitive anthropology of the 1960's and '70s." G.E. Marcus, Choice
Book Description
Anthropologists Janet and Charles Keller provide an account of human accomplishment based on ethnographic study. Blacksmithing--the transformation of glowing iron into artistic and utilitarian products--is the activity they chose to develop a study of situated learning. This domain, permeated by visual imagery and physical virtuosity rather than verbal logic, appears antithetical to the usual realms of cognitive study. For this reason, it provides a new entree to human thought and an empirical test for an anthropology of knowledge.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anthropology is Good -- Undertsanding cognition is good.,
By
This review is from: Cognition and Tool Use: The Blacksmith at Work (Learning in Doing) (Hardcover)
Gilmore gave this excellent book a 1 star rating because it was about anthropology, not blacksmithing. Duh.This is a 5 star book about anthropology, and more generally, human cognition. It demonstrates that the traditional way we classify things -- by category (all hammers go together, all screwdrivers, all foods, all clothes), is misleading, because in real usage, categorization goes by function. So this hammer goes with that anvil. This bread goes with that meat and that mustard. Why? Because they are used together. The book is filled with deep insights that come about through careful observation. Yes, the authors observed blacksmithing (hence the title), but this is a book about human cognition, not about blacksmithing. It is most unfortunate that the book was given a low rating because it wasn't the topic the reviewer wanted it to be. If you care about understanding people, this is a great book.
1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bah,
By Blacksmith (Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cognition and Tool Use: The Blacksmith at Work (Learning in Doing) (Hardcover)
This is an anthropology book and has nothing to do with hands on blacksmithing.
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