The Perfectionists Book Review
Simon Winchester’s book The Perfectionist: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World explains how precision engineered the scientific and industrial revolutions that have influenced the world to date. The book is a documentation of technological geniuses and their contribution to making the world what it is today. The author presents his work in an intriguing manner by adopting the four modes of writing that include narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing. Winchester narrates about his father, who, like so many other precision engineers, incorporated the element of precision into his work until the end of his career. He also uses expository and descriptive approaches to describe how several other precision engineers influenced various revolutions that have impacted the world for decades (Winchester, 2019). The flow of the book, the seemingly complex works the precision engineers undertook, and the author’s prowess in describing the details vividly make the book worth a read.
Simon Winchester begins the book by narrating his life as a precision engineer’s son. He remembers his father as being very passionate about his work. Through his father, his interest in understanding the creativity behind the development of machines grows. He introduces different individual accounts of precision engineers such as John Wilkinson and Henry Ford and uses other characters to expound his descriptions and explanations. Each chapter is distinguishable from the other by the degree of precision, which keeps increasing as the chapters progress. The first degree of precision is a tenth of an inch used by John Wilkinson to develop a steam engine in 1776 (Winchester, 2019). He then proceeds to discuss the various degrees of precision required to balance Rolls Royce engines, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Leica Cameras before reaching the precision of the scientific device used at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory.
The level of tolerance achieved by chapter three of the book was 0.00001. The technological advancements being discussed in this chapter are guns and clocks. Both of these advancements required precision for several reasons. In Chapter 3 of the book, Winchester begins with a story of a soldier in the battlefield whose musket had a broken trigger, causing him to rely on his creativity, and the supply of powder paper cartridges and rounds of ammunition he had remaining. However, that turned out to be unreliable as their hideout was invaded by the British army. The soldier and several others whose muskets were faulty prioritized their lives over the battle and fled. Several factors that had contributed to the defeat of the American soldiers by the British army were discussed, among them poor leadership and coordination, and a shortage of soldiers (Aronsky, 2019). However, there as one key factor that was given little attention but was the cause of much of the inconvenience – unreliable muskets. In addition to their unreliability, once the muskets became faulty, they took longer to repair. This is in addition to the fact that even these unreliable weapons were in short supply.
This lack of dependability resulted in an increase in precision. America has just gotten their independence and had little experience on the battlefield, both in their prowess and the supply of weapons. The muskets issued to the American soldier had interchangeable parts, hence the need to be repaired every time they malfunctioned. This shows that the manufacturers of these guns lacked the element of precision. To prevent humiliations like the one that happened in Bladensburg, the death of American soldiers and defeat on the battlefield, America embarked on a journey to shift the degree of precision on military weapons, specifically guns. The mass manufacture of precise war machinery began in the United States after this event and in so much secrecy that only individuals with clearance knew what was happening. All Americans knew was that engineers and scientists were involved in the project – and they largely incorporated the element of precision in the manufacture of guns. In this way, the next level of precision was achieved. In Winchester’s words, “a soldier’s life depends on his weapon, on its reliability and the honesty of its making” (Winchester, 2019). Clocks are another technology that required precision. The manufacture of clocks in America happened at almost the same time as other light machineries such as sewing machines, flour-milling machines and land mowers. The clocks were developed with a high level of precision that was often accurate. At the time of their discovery, clocks were described as gearwheels with mainsprings and spindles. This modification, as the precision engineers came to discover, was significant in timekeeping—however, the precision used in their manufacture needed to be improved. The first clocks were highly unreliable but remained in use for a lack of better products. According to Winchester, most of the clocks required to be “supervised” to work as they should. There are those that required winding on a weekly basis so they could function properly. Others had cylinders for pendulums that needed to be filled with liquid mercury often to ensure their proper functioning as well (Sobel, 2019). Those that were made of wooden gearwheels could get faulty if there was a change in humidity or temperature, further exemplifying their unreliability. Winchester explains that the precision in the manufacture of clocks is evident in the way the manufacturers weighed the pendulums accurately, tightened their springs and correct torques. However, the inaccuracy in the way they worked showed a lack of a higher level of precision, which was much needed for the manufacture of precise and accurate clocks. Winchester narrates a story about a childhood film he liked. Of all the content in the film, the scene where the clock winder appears to wind the seemingly classy clocks at the French embassy in London. The winder confirms the time from a pocket watch and proceeds to wind the two clocks. Besides this film, his experience also further exemplifies the lack of precision in the manufacture of clocks. According to Winchester, his clocks begin to slow down a day after they have been set correctly. These simple yet costly malfunctions may have misled individuals plenty of times before the next level of precision was achieved. The use of interchangeable parts, just like with guns, was mandatory in improving the degree of precision. Besides the benefit of the interchangeable parts on the use, even the manufacturing of the clocks became easier and cheaper (Kirkus, 2019). Precision engineers facilitated the mass production of affordable clocks that could be easily repaired, and ones that were easy to manoeuvre so as to achieve accuracy. Some of the factors that led to changes in the level of precision of clocks include the dependability on personnel for winding clocks as well as on the pocket clocks used to set the time.
The drive for precision/perfection, like everything else in the universe, has its benefits and demerits. One of the many quotes from Lewis Mumford implies that the cycle of machinery needs to end because of the risk it poses upon the world and everything in it. However, ending the whole cycle would disadvantage some sectors that depend on machines for the success of their products or services. One benefit of precision is evident in the health sector, which is highly dependent on devices for diagnosis and treatment of the majority of patients. For instance, the ventilators used in the ICU and HDU are a result of the precision of their manufacturers (Sobel, 2019). The drive for precision is a good thing considering the numerous lives that are saved because of the precision used to engineer these devices. The same goes for imaging machines, medical lasers, dialysis machines and surgical machines. Precision has also come in handy during the current Covid-19 pandemic. The disease, which seems to be impacting the ageing population more by increasing fatalities, has seen several older adults, especially those suffering from chronic illnesses, needing some of the life-support equipment in hospitals to maintain the function of their bodies. While the world may be experiencing a shortage due to the unprecedented impact of this pandemic, the available machines have been crucial in fighting the pandemic. In light of this, it can be noted that precision is a good thing.
However, a look into the climate change situation proves otherwise. The same precision that has improved some aspects of society’s lives has also destroyed it. Most of the activities that require the use of machines have a negative impact on the surroundings and affect the climate. For instance, the precision used to manufacture harvesters used to fell trees has influenced climate change by promoting deforestation. In the modern world, logging has been normalized to pave the way for new developments. This has significantly reduced the forest cover and destroyed the ozone layer, leading to global warming. Harvesters are not the only machinery that influences climate change (Kelly, 2019). Most of the machines used in manufacturing and processing companies emit gases into the atmosphere that also cause global warming. This paints precision in a bad light, exemplifying its demerits when it comes to finding a solution to climate change.
Winchester strongly believes that humanity needs to change the way they coexist to achieve a sustainable future. His Japan visit – particularly to the Seiko watch company – allows him to understand how possible it is to live harmoniously and still achieve sustainability. Winchester described the industrial plant as being silent, clean and efficient despite the presence of staff and machinery within the plants. In his description, the industrial plant seems to still need its staff despite the purchase and use of machinery. The workers and the machine have similar tasks. The only difference is in the speed at which the staff produces products. Despite the fact that the machine is faster, the retention of workers shows the company’s loyalty to its workers. This coexistence between human beings and machines in Japan has greatly enhanced the country’s sustainability. The support that craftsmanship has received over the years despite the industrial and scientific revolution also goes further to show how living together and looking out for each other’s needs can achieve sustainability. In Chapter 10 of the book, Winchester explains how the Seiko watch company managers retained the contacts of the old fashioned watchmakers they had earlier on fired. The idea at first was to know their location just in case a client needed their watch repaired. However, in the mid-80s, all of them were called back to work and continued working there for as long as their years allowed (Winchester, 2019). He implies that Japan owes its prosperity to sustainable living that is now a huge part of the Japanese communities.
In my opinion, there are several changes required in the way we live together in order to secure a sustainable future. Since the industrial and scientific revolutions, a lot has changed. Human beings have lost their jobs across the world to machines that are thought to be more efficient than them. These machines, while being beneficial, have destroyed life as was known before their invention. Other than increasing the unemployment rate, machines are responsible for global warming that grips the universe today. I concur with Lewis Mumford that the cycle of the machine, besides its efficacy, needs to come to an end if we are to live successfully on earth. This does not mean that machines should be completely ejected, but that humans and machines can coexist, with human beings taking the lead. I also agree with Mumford that we have given too much importance to science that we have forgotten how to express ourselves both emotionally and morally, which has further influenced or ability to achieve sustainability. By giving machines less power and taking charge of the situation, humanity can be able to achieve sustainability by using our emotions for invention purposes. Abandoning the technology that we can be helpful in maintaining a balance in the world. For instance, individuals should be encouraged to walk short distances as opposed to using vehicles. Less use of motor vehicles means less pollution and less impact on global warming. The Japanese Seiko watch company has proven that human beings and machines can coexist, with humans taking the lead, and I think the rest of the world needs to follow suit.
References
Aronsky, R. L. (2019). The Perfectionists Book Summary. Book Browse. Retrieved from https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3773/the-perfectionists
Kelly, M. L. (2019, May 7). In ‘The Perfectionists’ Simon Winchester Looks At History Of Precision Engineering. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/05/07/608590826/in-the-perfectionists-simon-winchester-looks-at-history-of-precision-engineering
Kirkus. (2019). The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/simon-winchester/the-perfectionists-winchester/
Sobel, D. (2019). ‘The Perfectionists’ Review: Two Cheers for Exactitude. WSJ. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-perfectionists-review-two-cheers-for-exactitude-1525374593
Winchester, S. (2019). The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World. New York: HarperCollins.