Introduction

There is a perpetual complaint one hears in advanced economies besides the lament of not having work: for those fortunate enough to have work, there is just too much of it. There is no time left for family, leisure, idle philosophical thinking, staring at the cloudless sky, even sleeping and dreaming—the life that is supposed to be more than work. However, perhaps a more cynical claim is that not only is there too much work, but much of it is not even needed. If it were the case that work was too much, but was needed toward a concrete goal, then there would be some redemption at the end of the day. However, if it is in fact the case that there is work beyond need and arguably choice, and, by virtue of this excess, too much of it, then any redemption that comes of “too much work” would in fact be delusional. The possibility of a collective self-denial, an autoconviction that this excessive work is necessary and does matter brings an oft-ignored psychological dimension to the modern debate about work—how much of work is necessary and how much of it is self-justifying and circular? More than two hundred years ago, Goethe said, “The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.”1