A thoughtfully constructed argument in favor of work worth doing, and of workers treated as human beings.
German ethicist and humanist philosopher Honneth turns his attention to the world of work—and all its indignities.
Most people in a given society are workers, observes Honneth in this accessible work of political philosophy, and it is “one of the major deficiencies of almost all theories of democracy” that this fact is not of central importance. Workers can be made the backbone of civil society by creating dignified conditions that promote cooperative, social behavior; if poorly run, a society will instead produce egocentric, us-against-them citizens. That’s precisely what we have, Honneth argues, because workers lack the freedom, the opportunity, and the incentive to contribute to “societal prosperity.” Whereas the Hegelian ideal of work produces independence and honor, the reality in capitalist societies is very different: workers are oppressed not just by the usual machinations of the bosses but also by such things as the fragile gig economy of the present, the suzerainty of finance and speculative capital, and the outsourcing of labor “to hugely underpaid remote workers all over the globe.” Add to that companies that break unions, that time workers’ bathroom breaks, and that view employees as fungible, and you have no chance of creating a society in which, as Adam Smith wished, “workers can fully understand the laws, accept them on rational grounds and embrace their meaning.” In short, workers are present, but they are not actors in a precarious society that does not value them. There are remedies, Honneth notes: one can reform capitalism, or one can fetter capitalism with laws and labor market reforms. He holds that a middle way between the two is “the moral order of the day,” one that contributes to human dignity and that allows workers a voice in the conditions of their labor.
A thoughtfully constructed argument in favor of work worth doing, and of workers treated as human beings.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781509561285
Page Count: 238
Publisher: Polity
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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