Folk Theories of Artifact Creation: How Intuitions About Human Labor Influence the Value of Artifacts

Abstract

<jats:p> What are the consequences of lay beliefs about how things are made? In this article, we describe a Western folk theory of artifact creation, highlighting how intuitive dualism regarding mental and physical labor (i.e., folk psychology) can lead to the perceived transmission of properties from makers to material artifacts (i.e., folk physics), and affect people’s interactions with material artifacts. We show how this folk theory structures the conceptual domain of material artifacts by differentiating the contemporary lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production, and how it influences people’s evaluations of different types of artifacts and their makers. We propose that the folk theory and lay concepts of art/craft and industrial production are best understood within a specific sociohistorical context, and review potential sources of cross-cultural and cross-temporal variation. We conclude by making recommendations for future research and examining the implications for promoting environmental sustainability and social justice in production systems. </jats:p>

Revival of the traditional handicraft enterprising community in Pakistan

“…Further, Newman and Bloom (2012, p. 559) believe that through physical contact, exceptional quality or essence can be transferred to a product. Similarly, recently Judge et al (2020) also contend that manual work involved in the production of craft pieces can lead to the perceived transmission of properties from producers to material artifacts.…”

“…their hands. As the traditional crafts produced by hands contain and transfer the producer's essence in the form of his love for a product and production process in a way that industrial products are unable to do (Fuchs et al, 2015;Judge et al, 2020), is another competitive advantage that provides further growth opportunities if handcrafting elements in the products are made further visible to consumers (Section 2.3 and Table 1). Furthermore, the handicraft industry is globally recognized as a powerful tool to eradicate poverty.…”

Cultural Dynamics for Sustainability: How Can Humanity Craft Cultures of Sustainability?

“…Human economic activities—production, consumption, and waste management—affect nature indirectly through people’s interactions with these artifacts. Cultural leverage may be found in folk theories of artifact creation (Judge, Fernando, Paladino, & Kashima, 2020)—people’s tacit assumptions about how artifacts are made. The Western folk theory, reflected in contemporary consumer culture, conceptualizes artifact making as an imposition of the creator’s intention on the material by the creator’s physical labor.…”

“…The linear conception of artifact creation as production-consumption-waste disposal may now need to be recrafted to a circular conception of artifact re-creation reimagined as bricolage , the assembling of any material available, recycled and reconfigured (Judge, Fernando, Paladino, & Kashima, 2020).…”

Low carbon readiness in social context: Introducing the social context of environmental identity model

“…Most of humanity used to live in rural areas; however, a majority is now living in the urban environment (Ritchie & Roser, 2019), a trend expected to continue well into the future (United Nations, 2019b). Much of what surrounds many of us now is the human-made environment populated by other humans and cultural artefacts (Judge et al, 2020). One consequence is that much of the human activities interacts with the rest of nature only indirectly through our use of the artefacts.…”