On the other side is John McDowell, who offers what I take to be an important countercorrective to the “smooth coping” notion by emphasizing the role of concepts in skilled activity. We don’t shut off our thinking, the way Dreyfus seems to suggest. Though McDowell doesn’t mention the fact, I believe his emphasis on the role of conceptual thinking is especially necessary when the activity in question is dangerous, and there are contingencies that remain beyond your control no matter how skilled you are, as in motorcycling. (Motorcycling is different from tying your shoes in this regard.)
