
The World Beyond Your Head
On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction
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Narrated by:
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Robert Fass
About this listen
In his bestselling book Shop Class as Soulcraft, Matthew B. Crawford explored the ethical and practical importance of manual competence, as expressed through mastery of our physical environment. In his brilliant follow-up, The World Beyond Your Head, Crawford investigates the challenge of mastering one's own mind.
We often complain about our fractured mental lives and feel beset by outside forces that destroy our focus and disrupt our peace of mind. Any defense against this, Crawford argues, requires that we reckon with the way attention sculpts the self.
Crawford investigates the intense focus of ice hockey players and short-order chefs, the quasi-autistic behavior of gambling addicts, the familiar hassles of daily life, and the deep, slow craft of building pipe organs. He shows that our current crisis of attention is only superficially the result of digital technology, and becomes more comprehensible when understood as the coming to fruition of certain assumptions at the root of Western culture that are profoundly at odds with human nature.
The World Beyond Your Head makes sense of an astonishing array of common experience, from the frustrations of airport security to the rise of the hipster. With implications for the way we raise our children, the design of public spaces, and democracy itself, this is a book of urgent relevance to contemporary life.
©2015 Matthew B. Crawford (P)2015 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Groundbreaking! Surprising and totally Enjoyable!
- By Sue Z on 08-02-19
By: Eric Gorges, and others
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How to Think with Intention: How to Identify, Transform, and Apply Mindsets for Control, Confidence, Growth, and Freedom
- Clear Thinking and Fast Action, Book 10
- By: Patrick King
- Narrated by: Russell Newton
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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How to Think with Intention dissects some of the most powerful mental blocks we can have: blocks in belief, confidence, self-protection, and growth. These have been deeply programmed into us, and while that’s not our fault, it is now our responsibility. You’ll gain incredibly actionable approaches to noticing and changing your thoughts, and ultimately controlling them.
By: Patrick King
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Thank You for Being Late
- An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations
- By: Thomas L. Friedman
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 19 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In his most ambitious work to date, Thomas L. Friedman shows that we have entered an age of dizzying acceleration - and explains how to live in it. Due to an exponential increase in computing power, climbers atop Mount Everest enjoy excellent cell phone service, and self-driving cars are taking to the roads. A parallel explosion of economic interdependency has created new riches as well as spiraling debt burdens.
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It really is an optimists guide to scary stuff
- By Adam Shields on 12-12-16
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The Road to Better Habits, Updated and Expanded
- A Simple Framework for Transforming Your Habits
- By: Darius Foroux
- Narrated by: Darius Foroux
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Covid-19 has changed our habits whether we like to admit it or not. We've become more distracted than ever, which is impacting every aspect of our lives. In this updated and expanded version of The Road to Better Habits, you’ll learn how to transform your habits in a simple way. Ultimately, where you are in your life is a result of your habits. The American historian and philosopher, Will Durant, said it best: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
By: Darius Foroux
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Mindwise
- Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want
- By: Nicholas Epley
- Narrated by: Nicholas Epley
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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You are a mind reader, born with an extraordinary ability to understand what others think, feel, believe, want, and know. It's a sixth sense you use every day, in every personal and professional relationship you have. At its best, this ability allows you to achieve the most important goal in almost any life: connecting, deeply and intimately and honestly, to other human beings. At its worst, it is a source of misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict, leading to damaged relationships and broken dreams. How good are you at knowing the minds of others?
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Finally gave up - no real point
- By Thomas on 05-12-14
By: Nicholas Epley
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Women Talk Money
- Breaking the Taboo
- By: Rebecca Walker
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Soneela Nankani, Tanis Parenteau, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Women Talk Money is a groundbreaking collection that lifts the veil on what women talk about when they talk about money; it unflinchingly recounts the power of money to impact health, define relationships, and shape identity. The collection includes previously unpublished essays by trailblazing writers, activists, and models, such as Alice Walker, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Rachel Cargle, Tracy McMillan, Cameron Russell, Sonya Renee Taylor, Adrienne Maree Brown, and more, with Rebecca Walker as editor.
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A very worthwhile read
- By H. Brown on 02-21-23
By: Rebecca Walker
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The Emotionally Destructive Relationship
- Seeing It, Stopping It, Surviving It
- By: Leslie Vernick
- Narrated by: Leslie Vernick
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Leslie Vernick, counselor and social worker, has witnessed the devastating effects of emotional abuse. Many, including many in the church, have not addressed this form of destruction in families and relationships because it is difficult to talk about. With godly guidance and practical experience, Vernick offers an empathetic approach to recognizing an emotionally destructive relationship and addresses the symptoms and the damage with biblical tools.
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EYE OPENING!
- By Tamara Adame on 01-22-25
By: Leslie Vernick
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How to Hold a Grudge
- From Resentment to Contentment - the Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life
- By: Sophie Hannah
- Narrated by: Sophie Hannah
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Practical, compassionate, and downright funny, How to Hold a Grudge reveals everything we need to know about the many different forms of grudge, the difference between a grudge and not-a-grudge (not as obvious as it seems), when we should let a grudge go, and how to honor a grudge and distill lessons from it that will turn us into better, happier people - for our own benefit and for the sake of spreading good and limiting harm in the world.
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Somehow relaxing
- By KATHRYN DI on 04-10-19
By: Sophie Hannah
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The Introvert's Way
- Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World
- By: Sophia Dembling
- Narrated by: Rose Itzcovitz
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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This clever and pithy audiobook challenges introverts to take ownership of their personalities...with quiet strength. Sophia Dembling asserts that the introvert’s lifestyle is not "wrong" or lacking, as society or extroverts would have us believe. Through a combination of personal insights and psychology, The Introvert’s Way helps and encourages introverts to embrace their nature, to respect traits they may have been ashamed of and reframe them as assets.
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Common Sense Fluff
- By James on 06-17-15
By: Sophia Dembling
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Things My Son Needs to Know About the World
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and midlife crises to practical jokes and poop.
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Not my favorite Frederick Backman book
- By Frog on 06-16-19
By: Fredrik Backman
What listeners say about The World Beyond Your Head
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- Sam
- 08-05-15
Excellent philosophy.
More detail oriented than "shop class as soulcraft" but as usual, Crawford delivers a well perceived and articulated view of the work we live in by examining our work ethic and, in this particular book, our interactions with others and culture.
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3 people found this helpful
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- dexcheque
- 02-23-25
Sharp thinker, especially when thinking with his hands.
The book is sharp. He scratches to get past the surface of embodied cognition - even as it is distributed across the body of a group.
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- Steve Yastrow
- 07-17-15
What a world view
Stick with this ... It requires your attention, and, at the same time, helps you understand how to employ your attention in the world. You've heard countless simplistic criticisms of our technology obsessions. This is is a sophisticated account of how letting technologies mediate our interactions with the world distanced us from real living.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Prunella P.
- 12-17-16
Almost—but not quite—beyond my head!
My brain is still reeling! It's ironic because this book, about attention, made it painfully obvious to me that I need to put some attention into my listening and comprehension skills!
It's not beyond me intellectually, but there is so much information going by at a good clip that it doesn't all sink in in one listen. So I think what I need to do is buy it in print, so I can re-read certain sections more slowly.
The narrator did a fabulous job. (I have watched the author in interviews and his speaking is way less engaging than the narrator!) His and rhythm were perfect—naturalistic and expressive and inflected with humour in all the right places. So it is not his fault that my retention is poor; it is my own brain I blame, in this age of distraction.
This book is brilliant. And it's like a hybrid of Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent" and something by Oliver Sacks. I hope that Matthew Crawford gets the accolades he deserves.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Carlos F. Pardo V
- 11-18-17
Excellent and insightful
Very interesting account of the importance of being situated in life. Linking various topics and theories (and motorbikes and pipe organs) the author describes a very interesting discussion on why attention is so important
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- Nick Green
- 10-22-20
Phenomenology for the modern era.
Best contemporary philosophy / phenomenology author I've ever read (so far). Liked "Shop Class" more but this was a great read as well.
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- Steev
- 12-28-23
Fantastic listen
As with shop class, another fantastic listen. Sage wisdom that the world needs. Both of his books should be mandatory reads in college.
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- the5chord
- 04-16-15
Another great book from Matthew Crawford
Lots of interesting points and thought provoking arguments. Definitely worth your time and money. Well read. Pleasure to listen to.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Jade
- 12-05-20
Will re-read
Was required to read this for my philosophy class, and I will admit I got lost quite often while listening/reading. Interesting content, but I would like to read/listen again when I’m not forced to do so for a grade lol takes the fun out of it.
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- Darwin8u
- 05-25-15
Do Androids Dream of Electric Things/Aware People?
I read Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work years ago and loved it. I was enamored of his story. His last book was about excellence, work, education, and engaging in a philosophy of work and empowering the type of education that enables students to have choices beyond the Ivory Tower.
In this his newest book, this PhD in political philosophy, motorcycle repairman, looks at our attention. And how we can get beyond our own heads and the active distractions that jockey for our attention through things (tools, interactions with the world) and people (real people, not their representations). He argues that the individual can't be viewed removed from her environment. Unlike Kant or Descartes, Crawford doesn't believe man can be moral or an individual without others, without in fact interacting with things and others.
Best parts of this book are the sections on virtual reality. I recently returned from a trip to MIT's Age Lab where I saw first-hand robotic seals used to treat patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimers. I drove MIT Agelab's AwareCar which they use to measure how different things make drivers distracted (think iWatch vs. iPhone). It was weird to think of the overlap between car's being manufactured to remove our need for attention (remote controlled breaking and paternalistic cameras) and studies being done to help us to make cars that at once are less distracting and at the same time allow us to distract ourselves more. It becomes a weird circle that ends in oblivion or a car wreck.
Another chapter I loved was the chapter on Vegas and gambling. How addictions and our attention interact and how big corporation feed off of that interaction. I loved the section he focused on David Foster Wallace, especially his books This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life and The Pale King. Books that looked at how we use our attention and the bliss we can achieve through boredom. I though his take on Wallace was certainly worth the price of admission on that section.
Finally, I loved the long pre-epilogue chapter on the Organ Maker's Shop. I have an uncle, or actually my wife has an uncle, who makes and repairs organs and this chapter seemed to be a good illustration and summary of his whole thesis. The shop was interesting and it served well to summarize his thesis and his solution to how to achieve individuality in this world of multiple, hard-core distractions.
So, in general, I liked this book. Unfortunately, I wanted to like it even more. If you are going to try to write a book that engages with a critique of Kant, Descartes, and the liberalism they created, you are going to need to bring your A-game. Crawford brought his B-game in my opinion. There were, however, moments of genius (or wicked genius), like this quote:
"The basic design intention guiding Mercedes the last ten years seems to be that its cars should offer psychic blow jobs to the affluent. Just sit back, relax, and think something pleasing. The eyes take on a faraway glaze. As for the other drivers, there is a certain ...lack of mutuality."
So, despite the genius of sentences like this, I just wanted MORE from it. I wanted a bit more depth, a bit more precision, a bit more time. This pipe just seemed like it was blown too soon.
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29 people found this helpful