The Refusal of Work

Everywhere one looks, there are people who feel that they differ from and exceed the roles foisted upon them by society. The problem, as Ryle and Soper have expressed it, is that the ideals promoted by society are not the same as the ideals by which it is ruled: ‘It teaches altruism, but depends on egoism, approves of social responsibility, but rewards financial self-interest, advances goals of critical autonomy and all-round personal development while endorsing the system that condemns the majority to long hours of dull and undemanding labour.’ It also continues to promote an ethic of hard work, even when stable and meaningful jobs are in short supply. There is only so much of this that people will take.

[...] we should recognise that the limits of our bodies, as well as the limits of our planet, are now alerting us to the need for social change.