V potu tváře : Přirozenost práce a povinnosti k ní
| Title in English | In the sweat of thy face : The natural character of the work and the duty to it |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Requested lectures |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | In this paper, I first examine different perspectives on work in the Western cultural space from a historical perspective. I do not limit myself to philosophy, but also take into account the religious dimension. I traverse the history from biblical antiquity through ancient Greece and Rome, medieval ethics, Protestant work ethics, liberalism, socialist thought, and contemporary neoliberal capitalism. In doing so, I show that work is generally considered compulsory. However, the justification for this obligation changes radically throughout history. There are also trends that seek to exempt a particular social group, especially the powerful and wealthy, from this obligation. I argue that, from a historical perspective, work and the obligation to work appear ubiquitous and natural. In the second part of the paper, I take into account that the history of conscious reflection on work covers only a fraction of human history. I therefore go back to prehistory, to the emergence of language and morality. From evolutionary, comparative and archaeological data, I infer the existence of a duty to work already at this time. We can place the birth of the duty to work in small egalitarian groups of hunters and gatherers in the African savannah environment. These natural and social conditions must be taken into account when assessing the nature of work and the obligation to work. Work becomes obligatory because of its necessity for the survival of the group. All members must contribute to providing for the basic needs of the whole and this is a successful evolutionary strategy. Natural work is not work for work's sake, it seeks to provide for the basic needs of the group, it is done for us (not for another), and it is to be done by all. It also includes “caring” work, so it is broader than today's notion of work. In the last section, the conclusions about natural work and its form serve to critique the current conception, definition and purpose of work (as labour). In particular, employment is shown to be both unnatural and illegitimate. |
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