In this episode of Artes Mechanicae, Austin Hoffman explores Ivan Illich’s critique of modern professionalism and the way industrial society slowly strips people of everyday human agency reducing human beings into functions, processes, and machines.
Drawing from thinkers like Ivan Illich, Michael Sacasas, David Epstein, and Hugh of St. Victor, Austin argues that the mechanical arts resist this reduction by requiring attention, creativity, judgment, and love. Whether woodworking, auto repair, teaching, or comforting a grieving friend, these deeply human activities demand prudence rather than mere procedure.