It's important to advocate the independent thinking that sometimes results from doing time in higher education. But over the past few decades, the increasing emphasis on earning higher and higher degrees, particularly in liberal arts, has lead to some contention between the "intellectual elite" and those working in the ever-important trades fields. Some people who think for a living have a low opinion toward those who do hands-on, gritty work. And handy people can't believe what you pay for someone to do the work for you. As our culture shifts further away from valuing tradespeople and do-it-yourself, we grow soft and lose a lot.

In the first of the new season of Caroline Werner Gannett Project: Visionaries in Motion IV series, Matthew B. Crawford presents "The Case for Working with Your Hands," which advocates a return to self-reliance, and a turning from passivity and dependence on consumer culture. Crawford is the author of the bestselling "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work," has worked as an electrician and mechanic, earned his Ph.D. in political philosophy, and is the owner of Shockoe Moto, an indie motorcycle repair shop in Richmond, Virginia.

The free talk takes place Wednesday, September 8, at 8 p.m. in the Webb Auditorium (Building 7A) at Rochester Institute of Technology. An accompanying workshop with the author will occur earlier that day 10-11 a.m. in the CIMS Machine Tool Lab, Room 1270. The lecture series will continue with discussions and presentations by behavioral economist Dan Ariely, architect Jeanne Gang, critically acclaimed cartoonist and author Alison Bechdel, and others. For further information, visit cwgp.org