The Politics and Ethics of Contemporary Work Whither Work?

Bringing together leading international scholars within the fields of social and political theory and philosophy, this book explores how we should understand work and its role(s) in our lives and wider society. What challenges are posed by work in our changing economy and the new economic forms that are beginning to emerge, and how can we best address these challenges? In what ways do patterns of working, as well as work technologies, shape people’s lives within and outside work, in particular their life opportunities and their social and natural environment? How might we organize—or seek to reorganize—workplaces so that the experience of work better reflects our shared ethical ideals and normative principles? This volume examines these vital questions in a comprehensive and systematic manner in order to provide much needed theoretical insight and practical guidance in reflecting on the nature, problems, and possibilities of work currently. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students and established academics in the areas of contemporary political theory and philosophy, social theory, legal philosophy, labour studies, the sociology of work, practical ethics, critical theory, and political activism.

1 Whither Work? The Politics and Ethics of Contemporary Work Jean-Philippe Deranty and Keith Breen 2 Work as a Realm of Social Freedom Nicholas H. Smith 3 The Future of Meaningfulness in Work, Organizations, and Systems Ruth Yeoman 4 Work and Human Nature in Hegel and Marx Sean Sayers 5 Leisure and Respect for Working People Andrea Veltman 6 Contesting the Work-Spend Cycle: The Liberal Egalitarian Case against Consumerism Samuel Arnold 7 No Masters Above: Testing Five Arguments for Self-Employment Iñigo González-Ricoy and Jahel Queralt 8 Automation, Basic Income, and Merit Katharina Nieswandt 9 Marginal Liberalism Lucas Stanczyk 10 Workplace Democracy and Republican Freedom Keith Breen and Onni Hirvonen 11 Democratizing Workplaces from Below: Beyond Workplace Republicanism Jean-Philippe Deranty and Emmanuel Renault 12 A Just Transition to a Sustainable Economy: Green Political Economy, Labour Republicanism, and the Liberation from Economic Growth John Barry 13 Democratic Work: Grounds, Models, and Implications Alexis Cukier 14 Proletarian Democracy: What Can We Learn from the Soviet Experience? Paul Gomberg 15 Open Borders and (Post-)Work James A. Chamberlain

Keith Breen is Senior Lecturer in Political and Social Theory at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jean-Philippe Deranty is Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.