From Hard Work to Hardly Working

<p>Inhis book&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Protestant-Ethic-and-the-Spirit-of-Capitalism" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism</em></a><em>&nbsp;(1904) G</em><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">erman sociologist Max Weber&nbsp;</a>introduced the term&nbsp;<em>work ethic.&nbsp;</em>Weber<em>&nbsp;</em>correlated the rise of European capitalism with Protestant values and theological&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Calvinism" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Calvinist&nbsp;</a>doctrines of dutiful work characterized by discipline and diligence. According to Weber&rsquo;s thesis, in the social and economic context of late 19th to early 20th century Europe, work was an ethical commitment fueled by the desire for eternal salvation.</p> <p>Weber addressed how the compulsive fixation on work as a source of spiritual deliverance, trapped people in an&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_cage" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>iron cage</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong>that stultified human potential and emotional fulfillment. He feared that along with the extravagant expansion in size and scope of industrialization an extreme bureaucratized future would result, causing one&rsquo;s identity to get wrapped up in an endless cycle of labor that would hinder personal freedom.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/illumination-curated/from-hard-work-to-hardly-working-4ce671d63e75"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>
Tags: Hardly Working