Repair
The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World
Description:... The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World Like Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses, an exploration of a powerful but often overlooked aspect of the human psyche: our ability and instinct to fix things From clothing that develops holes from long use to fraying relationships, we seem constantly to be repairing in a breakable world.
We fix things around us all the time, without giving it much thought. But looking hard at this work makes us ask why we do it and what we're trying to achieve. When does restoration destroy the value of an object? Who in your
house is more likely to fix the faucet? The relationship? When shouldn't you accept someone's apology? From fixing cars and restoring motorcycles, to women as the menders in our lives, to restorative justice as a way to heal
societies fractured by civil war, Spelman guides us across a fascinating terrain that is both highly personal and common to us all.
Repair illuminates a familiar yet mysterious instinct, and makes us see that our work as Homo reparans is vital, creative, and above all underappreciated.
Elizabeth Spelman is professor of philosophy at Smith College and author of Inessential Woman (Beacon / 6745-8 / $17.00) and Fruits of Sorrow Beacon / 1421-4 / $14.00). She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
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