> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: [[Glenn Adamson]] > Reference:: Adamson, Glenn. 2018. _Fewer, Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects_. Bloomsbury. > Date:: 2018 > Tags:: #warp/book > WeftLinks:: [[Environmental value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft encourages greater care of the environment]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > We need to counter fast consumerism by valuing well-made objects that pass the test of time. ### Highlights >when we ignore our material environment, we are essentially forgetting who we are and where we came from >Craft, at its best, provides material evidence of the limits of human capability, often showing that we can accomplish much more than we might have thought. It is, in this respect, deeply optimistic. It serves as a constant reminder of what humans can achieve when we put our mind to something and follow through. >William Morris, the great craft reformer of the late nineteenth century, was one of the earliest writers to espouse environmentalism, over a century ago. “Surely there is no square mile of earth’s inhabitable surface that is not beautiful in its own way,” he wrote, “if we men will only abstain from willfully destroying that beauty.” He also famously asked his contemporaries to “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” This sentiment still rings true today, particularly if we add the idea that objects should be meaningful. Let’s not think of things as ends in themselves, props to put on the mantelpiece. Rather, let’ s consider them points of contact between people. Every object represents a potential social connection, and the connection will be all the stronger if it is infused with material intelligence. By better understanding the tangible things in our lives, we better understand our fellow humans.