Time to rethink the meaning of work?
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Time to rethink the meaning of work?
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Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#2Such a concept practically does away with the very basis of the ancient differentiation of people into classes according to the kind of work done. This does not mean that, from the objective point of view, human work cannot and must not be rated and qualified in any way.
It only means that the primary basis of the value of work __is man himself, who is its subject__. This leads immediately to a very important conclusion of an ethical nature: however true it may be that man is destined for work and called to it, __in the first place work is "for man" and not man "for work"__.
Through this conclusion one rightly comes to recognize the pre-eminence of the subjective meaning of work over the objective one. Given this way of understanding things, and presupposing that different sorts of work that people do can have greater or lesser objective value, let us try nevertheless to show that __each sort is judged above all by the measure of the dignity of the subject of work, that is to say the person, the individual who carries it out.__
On the other hand: independently of the work that every man does, and presupposing that this work constitutes a purpose—at times a very demanding one—of his activity, this purpose does not possess a definitive meaning in itself. In fact, in the final analysis it is always man who is the purpose of the work, whatever work it is that is done by man—even if the common scale of values rates it as the merest "service", as the most monotonous even the most alienating work.
Laborem exercens, 1982
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#3Yes I agree. Stop trying to find meaning in your job. Value the important things in life -- your family, your loved ones, your community, and your contributions to society outside of work. So many of my millennial coworkers are just obsessed with finding meaning at work because it's very obvious to me they are failing to find meaning outside of work: meaningful relationships, friendships, deep connections with their parents, etc. If you don't attend all the work happy hours and mingles and events, you are seen as an outsider. It's a sad state of affairs.
> I believe in a future where the value of your work is not determined by the size of your paycheck, but by the amount of happiness you spread and the amount of meaning you give.
Yeah I believe in paradise and utopia as well. Unfortunately, for the unforeseeable future, people who create value will be the ones getting paid.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#4Yes I agree. Stop trying to find meaning in your job. Value the important things in life -- your family, your loved ones, your community, and your contributions to society outside of work. So many of my millennial coworkers are just obsessed with finding meaning at work because it's very obvious to me they are failing to find meaning outside of work: meaningful relationships, friendships, deep connections with their…
I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to find meaning in your job.
The time has come to stop sidestepping the debate and home in on the real issue: what would our economy look like if we were to radically redefine the meaning of “work”? I firmly believe that a universal basic income is the most effective answer to the dilemma of advancing robotization. Not because robots will take over all the purposeful jobs, but because a basic income would give everybody the chance to do work that is meaningful.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#5Yes I agree. Stop trying to find meaning in your job. Value the important things in life -- your family, your loved ones, your community, and your contributions to society outside of work. So many of my millennial coworkers are just obsessed with finding meaning at work because it's very obvious to me they are failing to find meaning outside of work: meaningful relationships, friendships, deep connections with their…
I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to find meaning in your job. The time has come to stop sidestepping the debate and home in on the real issue: what would our economy look like if we were to radically redefine the meaning of “work”? I firmly believe that a universal basic income is the most effective answer to the dilemma of advancing robotization. Not because robots will take over all the purpos…
You are probably right to an extent. I should probably phrase my comment highlighting more the unhealthy manner of the concept, and there certainly is a balance to strike somewhere. Some jobs are inherently meaningful, but I believe those are rare. For the vast majority, it is imperative that people have support systems outside of work. Then your "crappy" job doesn't seem so crappy, because you are given money to then go spend on your loved ones doing things you like to do together.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#6I used to be very excited about Universal Basic Income. Then I thought about what might actually happen. UBI will cause dramatic price inflation in response to everyone knowing that everyone is getting x amount of money. This will quickly neutralize the intended effect of UBI. It might sound great to get 10,20,40k automatically for everyone but this will have an immediate inflationary effect especially on rents and housing. Price controls would need to be enacted. This situation is untenable, either inflation or the effects of a race to prevent inflation will counter-act the intended effects of UBI. UBI is an illusion that we need to move past. You have to actually identify the why and how of the massive inequality we see in society to do something about it. UBI does not answer why or how inequality happens and is no solution to it.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#7UBI isn't possible without strict price controls which goes against the spirit of capitalism.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#8I used to be very excited about Universal Basic Income. Then I thought about what might actually happen. UBI will cause dramatic price inflation in response to everyone knowing that everyone is getting x amount of money. This will quickly neutralize the intended effect of UBI. It might sound great to get 10,20,40k automatically for everyone but this will have an immediate inflationary effect especially on rents and h…
If you want to get excited about UBI again , consider the opposite action:
Take the US, and instead of giving everyone in the country 10,000 USD/year in UBI, take 10,000 USD away: add a new 10,000 USD/year flat tax.
Do you still think all prices will re-stabilize, and everyone will end up _exactly_ the same as before? Or, isn't likely that taking 10,000 away from a poor man will hurt more than taking 10,000 away from a rich man?
So, intuitively, wouldn't giving every person in the US 10,000 USD help the poor more than the rich? Where's the evidence to suggest all of that money would immediately be swallowed up by cost inflation?
Of course, the effect in reality will be a little more complex, and hard to measure, but I'd argue that intuition suggests UBI, by nature, _has_ to help fight inequality, just like free education, free healthcare, nationalized insurance, and any other progressive services that give equal benefits to all citizens. The question isn't if we should try it, but how much should we give.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#9UBI isn't possible without strict price controls which goes against the spirit of capitalism.
1. No, price controls aren't necessary.
2. Yes, that's just one of the other good things about it.
Re: Time to rethink the meaning of work?
#10Yes I agree. Stop trying to find meaning in your job. Value the important things in life -- your family, your loved ones, your community, and your contributions to society outside of work. So many of my millennial coworkers are just obsessed with finding meaning at work because it's very obvious to me they are failing to find meaning outside of work: meaningful relationships, friendships, deep connections with their…
I don't think that there's anything wrong with wanting to find meaning in your job. The time has come to stop sidestepping the debate and home in on the real issue: what would our economy look like if we were to radically redefine the meaning of “work”? I firmly believe that a universal basic income is the most effective answer to the dilemma of advancing robotization. Not because robots will take over all the purpos…
The other end of the spectrum is even darker. If you are entirely detached from your work, if it doesn’t reflect at all on your sense of identity, you are capable of some truly unspeakable things.
As with most things finding a balance is key.