dignity of labour essay outline

Essay on The Dignity of Labour with Outlines for Students

Essay on dignity of work with outline for 2nd year, f.a, fsc, b.a, bsc & b.com.

Here is an essay on The Dignity of Labour with Outline for the students of Graduation. However, Students of 2nd year, F.A, FSc, B.A, BSC and Bcom can prepare this essay for their exams. This essay has been taken from Functional English by (Imran Hashmi) Azeem Academy. You can write the same essay under the title, The Dignity of Work Essay or Essay on the Dignity of Work or Dignity of Work or Labour in Islam Essay. First of all, try to understand and learn the Outline of this essay to make it easy to remember the points of the essay. You can see more essay examples by going to English Essay Writing .

The Dignity of Labour Essay Outline:

By labour, we generally mean work done by hands.
There is nothing shameful in becoming a skill-worker.
In Islam all human being are equal. Islam does not allow distinction on the basis of profession.
In Islam hones work of all kinds is worth respecting.
Unfortunately, we ignore the bright example set by our Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) and consider manual work as undignified.
In the advanced countries, the major cause of the development is that dignity of labour has got its due importance.
In the less developed countries like Pakistan, the major cause of backwardness is that we have misused the concept of dignity of labour.
We should give equal status to the labour class in society.

By labour, we generally mean work done by hands. Unfortunately, this word is used in a negative sense. There is nothing shameful in it. People having a narrow mind refer the word labour to professions adopted by carpenters, masons and their assistants. They also associate them with the lower middle class of society. As a matter of fact, these professions are benefactors of society. They play a vital role for peace and prosperity of our life. For example, mason builds a house to shelter us, a tailor sews clothes to cover our body and a farmer tills the soil to feed us.

We should not ignore that no office peon is employed in any office of the advance countries because in those countries every office worker feels no shame in doing the peon work himself. We are Pakistani and unfortunately, we feel it below our dignity.

If we read the history of nations like Japan, China, Germany etc., we shall learn that their economic development is based on attaching dignity to manual work. On the other hand, our Pakistani engineer will feel it below his dignity to join two wires and will say that it is the work of his subordinate mechanic.

In Islam all human beings are equal. Islam does not allow distinction on the basis of profession. The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) used to work with his own hands. He carried bricks for the construction of the mosque and did not feel ashamed in mending his outworn shoes. In Islam, the honest work of all kinds is worth respecting. Even a sweeper deserves respect. In Islam work is worship.

Unfortunately, we ignore the bright example set by Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) and consider manual work as undignified. We also look down upon the labour class.

People should change their thinking and should not hesitate in doing their jobs. This spirit will improve our economic condition. In the advanced countries, the major cause of the development is that dignity of labour has got its due importance.

In Pakistan, a large number of people are working in the houses of landlords. They only take the meal and clothes and server like slaves. Today every rich man always wishes to have a large number of servants in his home.

We have misused the concept of labour and this is the major cause of backwardness in our country. If we want to improve our economic condition, we should give equal status to the labour class in society.

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The dignity of Labor Essay |Outlines, Quotes, and good comprehension

1. introduction.

Every sort of labor is respectable

All types of labor contribute to the survival

2. Labor as a manual work

No alternative to working with hands

Labor as innovation in discoveries

3. History of manual work

Ancient people denigrated the value of manual labor

The modern era enlightened the grace of manual workers

4. Value of working with hands

Nations prosper by accepting the worth of manual workers

Variety of manual labor provides a variety of requirements

5. Respect of skilled workers

Holy Prophet (PBUH) teaches us to manual labor

Examples of hard works of Quaid-e-Azam

6. Labor as the satisfaction of the human soul

Not form of labor but intentions matter

Meaningful labor is personally enriched

7. Conclusion

“dignity of labor”.

The dignity of work can be defined as value and respect given to all forms of labor and work. It means the jobs related to manual labor should be given equal priorities and manual workers should be given equal rights to other workers. The first disobedience of Adam was eating the fruit of the forbidden tree which brought him the curse of the Lord. The curse was to the effect that man was ordered to earn his bread with his sweat and blood. Supposing some sort of labor as demeaning work is a hateful sense of human status. All types of labor equally contribute to the welfare and development of society. There passed a time when slaves were bought and sold openly in the market. In this way, their dignity was lost and they were forced to perform all sorts of hard works. Then time changed and now people are living in the independent and democratic era.

Labor as a manual work:

There is no alternative to working with hands. We cannot survive until we utilize our abilities. Although man is prior of all creatures in the world he cannot live without earning his bread. Nobody can bring him livelihood by waving a magic wand.

Generally, we mean working with hands is the definition of labor. Manual labor or working with hands is considered an inferior sort of work. In this world, nothing can be achieved without labor. Labor and industry contributed to the development of civilization. When we discuss basic human rights labor class is not enjoying the rights as white collared people and merchants. Even educated ones do not appreciate this class’s efforts. Only those people are preferred who own high profiled jobs. These so-called educated and civilized people do not even think that where the world would stand if no one worked.

“Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration” Abraham Lincoln

Labor is important for making innovations and changes. If after the discovery of the wheel no one has worked for making engines then we will still have been traveling on animals. Or after the discovery of the power of steam, if no one had worked to make a steam engine then what is the use of discovery of steam power? If there were no one to plow the fields, there would have been no crops. As the result, we would have been facing a scarcity of food. If an engineer is important for making buildings drawings then mason is also of equal or even more important for giving a proper shape to this drawing.

History of manual work:

Prosperity and development of nations depend on works done by its masses. If masses live their lives like Lotus-eaters, not only development is possible but also they would not survive long. No pain, no gain is the secret of all the developed nations. Depreciating manual labor is said and shameful act of current society. There is a vast history of people who denigrated the worth of manual labor and tried to tarnish the dignity of labor with hand. But time changed and people are now more modern and enlightened with the power of respect and status befitting to all kinds of labor. The sad image of the story is that this respect and honor of manual labor is still being denied in most parts of the world. Hence this is not a worldwide concept and laborers are still looked down on by upper-class society.

“From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.” Cesar Chavez

The major cause of retardation in our country is that we do not appreciate our labor. That’s why people are forced to work in European and other developed states. They are still laborers in those countries but the main difference is that they are not treated with disregard by the people of those countries. However, they get good perks in those countries and decent benefits in return for their efforts. If we are willing to earn a good status in the view of other nations then we should give equal rights and benefits to the labor class as well. This is the only way of improving our economy.

Also, Labors should understand their worth and should not be ashamed of their manual work. Manual work bears equal importance as others do.

Value of working with hands:

The reality is that no community, society, or human can survive without manual labor. No nation can prosper without accepting the worth of farmers, industrial workers, masons, and minors who try to make day-to-day life possible. All of these manual labor are the key factors of making prosper and developed society. Every sort of labor is sacred whether it is manual, menial, or mental if it is done with honesty and truthfulness.

A human being is superior to all the creatures just because of their ability to work and power to think. Human is prior because of their capability of differentiating between good and bad. We are provided with all the things naturally like fruits, vegetables, air, and a lot of other blessings but not in a usable form. These blessings become functional with agriculture, industries, trading, and transformation. All these activities are interlinked and the common feature of all these kinds of transformation is labor. We require farmers, constructers, and industrial employees. Without these manual workers, we would not be able to survive like if farmers are not available there would be a scarcity of food. So we should be thankful to these entire professionals and laborers that become sources of providing us blessings of Almighty in proper form. In fact, all of this manual labor is the reason for our existence. This variety of manual labor provides a variety of our requirements. So this is just a distribution of labor that helps us to survive. Labor is labor, whether we are working while sitting in a cabin or on roads both, are interlinked with each other. This chain and cycle are important to be continued for our existence.

When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises. Angela Merkel

Respect of skilled workers:

Our role model and biggest motivation for all mankind Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) teach us to work hard and present a lot of examples by His deeds in which he worked with his hands. He (PBUH) is a messenger of Allah Almighty still he used to mend his shoe with his own hands. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) never hesitated to sew a patch of his shirt by himself. He (PBUH) used to milk his goats and get water from the well. In the battle of khandaq he participated in digging moat by himself that is why this battle is known as Ghazwa Khandaq.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “Your brothers are your servants whom ALLAH has made your subordinate, he should give them to eat for what he himself eats and wear for what he himself wears and do not put on the burden of any labor which may exhaust them”

Our industrious hero Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah once said:

“Work, work and work”

He used to work from day to night and for the independence of Muslims. His sister, Fatima Jinnah used to advise hos to take care of his health and reduce the amount of work. He used to smile over and reply:

“If the leaders of the nation will not work, who else will?”

Labor as the satisfaction of human soul:

Labor has several forms but all of them have been organized in manual and intellectual labor. Both of them bear equal rights and no one is inferior or superior to the other. Meaningful work and labor can be defined that is personally enriched and contributing positively. We all are responsible for our deeds and we are answerable to Lord in the end. So it is not the manual or mental work that is inferior or superior but it is the work done with which sort of intention.

“Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” Vincent Van Gogh

If labor is working manually with his pure intentions then no doubt he is superior to all of the mental and intellectual labors as well. So, the aim and designation of doings is the major factor about which we should be careful.

Conclusion:

The dignity of labor means all occupations and professions whether based on intellectual or physical labor should enjoy equal rights and place in society. All the occupations are compounded to make societies prosper and develop. So it is concluded that there is no work and job inferior or superior. All sorts of labor are important for the survival of humankind. Every dutiful worker and every job being done with honesty and sincerity should be appreciated. Regardless of the concept of manual or mental labor, every job deserves honor and respect. We should understand that fellow beings are working to support society and their families as well. So we should not consider any job or labor as insignificant.

Essay on the Dignity of Labor with Outline for Students

January 10, 2024

Kainat Shakeel

In our ever-evolving society, the conception of the dignity of labor holds profound significance. From historical perspectives to present-day challenges, admitting the value of every job is pivotal for fostering a harmonious and inclusive community.

The dignity of labor is a dateless conception that transcends artistic and societal boundaries. It goes beyond the type of work one engages in and encompasses the natural value every job holds in contributing to the well-being of society. In this essay, we will explore the historical elaboration of views on labor dignity, bandy the challenges faced by sloggers, and claw into the profitable impact of feting the value of every job.

Historical Perspectives

Throughout history, the perception of labor has experienced significant metamorphoses. In ancient societies, certain jobs were supposed more honorable than others, frequently grounded on societal scales. still, as societies evolved, there surfaced a consummation that every part, anyhow of its nature, played a vital part in the functioning of society.

The Value of Every Job

It’s essential to understand that the dignity of labor extends to all professions. Whether one is a croaker, a janitor, or an artist, each part contributes uniquely to the fabric of our community. This recognition fosters a sense of inclusivity and concinnity, breaking down societal walls and conceptions associated with particular occupations.

Challenges Faced by Laborers

Despite the universal significance of labor, workers frequently face colorful challenges. From societal prejudices to conceptions about certain professions, individuals may encounter walls that undermine their sense of dignity. It’s imperative to address these issues inclusively to produce a further indifferent work environment.

Economic Impact

Admitting the dignity of labor isn’t simply a moral imperative but also a sound profitable strategy. When every job is valued, it enhances overall productivity and contributes to the growth of frugality. Feting the link between labor dignity and profitable success is essential for erecting a sustainable and thriving society.

Particular Stories

Real-life stories of individuals prostrating societal impulses and chancing fulfillment in their work serve as important illustrations of the dignity of labor. These stories humanize the conception, making it relatable to compendiums from all walks of life. similar narratives inspire a shift in perspective, encouraging a more inclusive and regardful view of different professions.

Education and mindfulness

Education plays a pivotal part in shaping stations towards labor. By incorporating assignments on the dignity of labor into educational classes, we can inseminate a sense of respect for all professions from an early age. also, adding mindfulness about the significance of different places in society can contribute to a further enlightened and inclusive perspective.

Changing comprehensions

Enterprise and movements aimed at changing societal stations towards certain professions have gained instigation in recent times. Success stories of individualities breaking walls and grueling preconceived sundries demonstrate the power of collaborative efforts in reshaping comprehensions about the dignity of labor.

Global Perspectives

Stations towards labor dignity vary across different countries. By comparing and differing these perspectives, we gain precious perceptivity into the artistic nuances that shape societal views on work. international efforts to ameliorate working conditions and promote fair labor practices contribute to a global discussion on the significance of feting the dignity of every worker.

Government programs

The part of government programs in securing workers’ rights and promoting a fair and staid work environment can not be exaggerated. assaying the impact of legislation on labor conditions allows us to understand the positive changes brought about by nonsupervisory fabrics and identify areas for enhancement.

Technological Advances

Advancements in technology are reshaping the geography of work. While robotization and artificial intelligence bring about an unknown edge, they also pose challenges to the traditional conception of labor. Balancing technological progress with preserving labor dignity requires thoughtful consideration and ethical decision-making.

Future Trends

As we navigate the complications of the ultramodern work geography, it’s pivotal to anticipate unborn trends and their counteraccusations for labor dignity. From remote work to gig frugality, understanding the evolving nature of work is essential for ensuring that the dignity of labor remains a central tenet of our societal values.

The part of Unions

Labor unions have historically played a vital part in championing workers’ rights. Examining the influence of unions in different surroundings provides precious perceptivity into collaborative efforts to cover the dignity of labor. Their part in negotiating fair stipends, safe working conditions, and other essential benefits can not be exaggerated.

Empowering the Next Generation

Instilling a sense of dignity in labor from an early age is crucial to shaping the stations of the coming generation. Educational strategies that emphasize the value of different professions and promote a regardful view of all jobs contribute to erecting a society that values and respects every existent’s donation. In conclusion, the dignity of labor isn’t a conception confined to history but a living principle that shapes our present and unborn. Feting the value of every job, challenging conceptions, and championing fair labor practices are essential ways to create a society where every existent’s donation is conceded and admired.

Kainat Shakeel is a versatile Content Writer Head and Digital Marketer with a keen understanding of tech news, digital market trends, fashion, technology, laws, and regulations. As a storyteller in the digital realm, she weaves narratives that bridge the gap between technology and human experiences. With a passion for staying at the forefront of industry trends, her blog is a curated space where the worlds of fashion, tech, and legal landscapes converge.

The Endless

August 29, 2022

Dignity Of Labour Essay: Suitable For All Class Students

Essay on Dignity Of Labour

[Introduction. Labour and life. Labor and social status. Labour and achievement. Conclusion.]

“….if any would not work,neither should he eat.” (The Bible)

Dignity Of Labour Essay – Work or labor has no alternative. There is no shame in working. All must work according to their ability. Man can not, and should not, live without labour . Although man is the greatest creature of the universe, he has to earn his own bread; nobody brings him his livelihood by a wave of any magic wand. Whatever he needs, he must acquire through hard work. If anyone wants to have anything without undertaking the burden of labour , he has io indulge in illegal activities which deserves no dignity at all.

Labour gives us life and livelihood. That is why it is above all other things in life.

The main success of man’s life is to strike a unique balance between his needs desires or dreams and achievements. What man wants really exits in the world. But if he wants to have it, he has to labor hard. He has to earn all this: his bread for survival, knowledge, success, wealth, friendship, fame and all other things that he craves for. Likewise, social status, historical identity, esteem from others—these all need to be procured through hard labor. If there is to be anything called luck, then it must be a series of blanks that must be filled up by hard labor. Or, more specifically

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

So, preparation must be there. Nothing can actually come to man from the empty luck.

Likewise, we have to define fate in a practical way. It can be said that fate is the external environment of man which he directly or indirectly reacts to but can not control. It is, in other words, a set of restrictions. We can not, as has already been said, control fate, but we can easily control ourselves. And it can be possible by dint of labour. Hence the saying goes:

“When fate shuts the door, come in through the window.”

Therefore, labor makes everything possible. Without it, nothing can be done or achieved. Even any religious practice without any labor has no value. Pure religion is what we do after our prayer is over. Prayer is indeed a preparation. For this reason, labor is given the most importan in all religious books of the world.

Don’t Forget to Check: Essay in English

The idle brain is the root of all evils, they say. This may do big harms to the society as well as the nation. Thoughts which are aloof from work or labour do not advance much; they reduce into daydreams and fancies. An author aptly says, ” There is no such way by which man can escape from labour, and the act of thinking is more laborious.”

No labor is detestable. The thinking of the scholar, the leading of the leader, the advice of the specialist all these are as essential as to us as the labor of the cooley, the day laborer, the sweeper, the farmer, the hawker, the shopkeeper, the clerk, and all others. If we abhor the work of the sweeper and he postpones his work only for two days, then this gentlemanly town life of ours will become a hell. Likewise, if the cobbler ceases to work, and yet we want to keep our status intact, then we ourselves will have to become cobblers, at least for our own purposes. Therefore, all types of work are dignified and valuable. We all are labourers .

But it is a matter of great regret that in this sub-contiment, even in this modern age, people are socially classified according to what they do, and consequently, are considered as of varying status. We consider that labourer as mean but for whose labour we could not have been in the so-called higher position. It is very sad. No nation believing in such incongruous classification of mankind has ever prospered enough. In the developed countries, a labourer is most esteemed. All kinds of labour are encouraged there. We too should take lessons from their examples.

Only labour has made it possible to create the great things of the world. The Taj, the Great Wall of China, Mona Lisa-all these are fruits of unfatigued labour. Nothing has been, can be, and will be possible without labour.

In conclusion, a famous man can be quoted: “Man’s greatest friends are the ten fingers of his hands.” He is quite right. But it should not be forgotten that physical labor and mental labor are complementary to each other.

Dignity of labor essay 2

Topic: (Introduction, Classification, Importance, Manual labor does not make man low, Conclusion)

The work of a clerk, a teacher, a professor, a lawyer, a doctor does not require much physical labor. On the contrary, the work of a cultivator, a miner, an artisan requires physical labor. When we say that the work of the cultivators, miners, artisans etc. is as respected as the work of the clerk, the teacher, the lawyer, and the doctor, we mean there is the dignity of labor.

There are two kinds of labor-manual and intellectual. Each of them has the dignity of its own and none is inferior to the other.

There is a great importance of manual labor in human life. We grow crops, build houses and factories, construct roads and streets etc. by manual labor. Manual labor is also necessary for the fields, mines, mills, and ships. If the sweepers, the porters, the carpenters, mason, the blacksmith, and the peasants did not perform their duties, the whole of mankind could not have enjoyed the present result of civilization. It gives us good physical exercise and so keeps our body fit and strong. It helps the continuation of our existence in this world. We cannot live without food, drink, clothes, and houses. But these are gifts of manual labor. So manual labor is more essential than the intellectual.

In our country, people usually do not respect manual labor. They think that manual labor lowers down their position in society. So they hate manual labor. A man with a little bit of education does not even wash his own clothes because of his vanity.

But this picture is quite different in the developed countries of the world. For instance, Tolstoy came of a very rich family. He himself did manual work like another peasant. Great men of the world believe that manual labor can never lower down the prestige of a man.

At present, the outlook of our countrymen has not yet completely changed. But we should understand that manual labor makes a man great and dignified. An ordinary laborer without education is better than an educated idle man. So, we should feel that there is the dignity of labor in every sphere of life.

Dignity Of Labor Essay 3

Introduction : Everything has its own dignity whatever it may be. It is dignified in accordance with its utilization and utility. It is the most valuable powerful element of success in life .

Kinds of labor: Labour is of two types-manual and intellectual. Each of them should have a dignity of its own. But unfortunately, most of our educated persons have a wrong idea of manual labour . Consequently, they look down upon the people engaged in manual work. In such a context we should keep in mind that manual labour has noting debasing about it.’

Manual labor : Manual labor is at the root of our livelihood. The food, drink, clothes, and houses without which we cannot live are all the gifts of manual labor. It is manual labor that drives the plow and reaps the harvest. It grinds the corn and turns it into bread. It spins the thread and weaves our clothes. It lays brick upon brick and builds our houses. Manual-workers are thus the backbone of a nation. In western countries, all house-hold works are done by the people themselves. They have to clean their own floors and wash their own bathrooms. There is no porter to carry their pieces of luggage. A passenger has to carry his own bag. A carpenter, a mason or an electrician has his own dignity.

Intellectual labor: Labour of this type is dignified to many. Working in the office, bank, insurance company etc is regarded as intellectual labor. It has a touch with manual labor. The country’s development in the international field depends on it. Science, literature, culture, technology etc are intellectual labor. But unfortunately, many people in our country still think that manual labor is not dignified. It is ridiculous to think that a clerical job is more dignified than manual work in agriculture, horticulture, carpentry, pottery, tailoring, book-binding, spinning, weaving, dairy, poultry etc. This false notion should be changed. It is especially important in the context of the economic realities of the country. Indeed this dignity of labor may be a powerful means of combating the problem of unemployment which is becoming large in our country.

Importance: Dignity of labor has an important role in the country. No nation can develop unless her people undergo any labor. If we consider the developed countries, we find that the people of those countries did not hesitate but labored hard. Labour of any kind is dignified as it can give everything to society. The nation’s development depends largely on labor. All the great men in the world labored hard and achieved dignity.

Difficult to provide employment: We cannot expect that every educated young man would be given a secured and comfortable job with a chair and a table and a fan in an office or in a bank. We must admit that no government can provide employment to all the unemployed youths.

Labour gives dignity: Hence self-reliance and dignity of labor may be the only reasonable way to solve the problem of unemployment. We should remember that God has given us not only the head but hands also. We should fully utilize these gifts to enrich our lives. Moreover, those who are engaged in intellectual jobs should do some manual works for keeping a balance between the two for a normal and healthy life.

Teaching dignity of labor: Thus we should have an ideal position of manual labor in our society. And for this, the dignity of labor should be taught from childhood. If every child is asked to do his or her own work as much as possible, it will be good for the future struggle of life. We should all bear in mind that work is worship and in this way, the dignity of labor should be recognized in its due importance.

Conclusion : Labour of any kind pays much more than anything else. It helps contribute to the economic development of an individual and a nation.

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July 13, 2020 at 10:33 pm

Thank u soo much It really helpful for me

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Help ful for me.😎

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Essay on Dignity of Labour in English For Students and Children

We are Sharing Essay on Dignity of Labour in English for students and children. In this article, we have tried our best to give an essay about Dignity of Labour for Classes 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 and Graduation in 200, 300, 400, 500, 800 1000 words, a Short essay on Dignity of Labour.

Short Essay on Dignity of Labour in English

Labour implies a piece of work as well as manual labour, i.e., those who work with their hands. hi ancient times, manual labour was looked down upon in society. The labourers were treated as slaves. This gave rise to a feeling of contempt for manual work Slavery has been banned and abolished of late. In modem times, people have begun to realise the dignity of labour. But there are few people of the higher class who still have a different view. Mahatma Gandhi himself wove the khadi garments he sore. He is a perfect example of the dignity of labour. Manual work is in no way inferior to mental work. When mind and hands combine, the results are praiseworthy. Honest work of all types is worthy of respect. Work is worship.

Essay on Dignity of Labour in English ( 500 words )

Labour implies ‘a task’ or ‘a piece of work’. It also implies ‘workers’, especially those who work with their hands. It refers to manual labour. Dignity means ‘honourable rank or position’. ‘Dignity of labour’ thus implies the honourable position of workers who work with their hands. Manual labour is distinguished from mental labour. When we do mental work, our minds work, but our hands remain still. In manual labour, we exercise our hands, whereas, in mental labour, we exercise our brain, i.e., the mind.

In ancient times, manual labourers were considered slaves. They were looked down upon in society. They were treated as inferiors. This gave rise to a feeling of contempt for manual work. The mason, the carpenter, the farmer were all differentiated from the other class of people. Slaves were victims of mockery and hatred. Slavery existed in almost all countries. It was more prevalent in America where the whites bought the blacks to employ them in the plantations. Later on, slavery was banned and abolished.

In modern times, people have become more civilised. They began to realise the dignity of labour. Manual labour is no longer looked down upon in society. There are few people belonging to the upper class who still have a different view. They think it below their dignity to do their work themselves. They employ servants to do the household activities and to look after their children.

Today, the worth of labour is recognised by all. There is no longer the feeling of contempt for manual work. Manual labourers today are treated as equals in society. India is a democratic country and all are considered equal in the eyes of law.

Mahatma Gandhi preached dignity of labour in the Sabarmati Ashram. He taught the dwellers to clean night soil’ with their own hands. During the struggle for Independence, Gandhiji advised the people to weave the clothes that they would wear. Gandhiji himself wove the khadi garments he wore. This is a perfect example of ‘the dignity of labour’.

Honest work is worthy of praise and credit. Today, manual work is in no way inferior to mental work. When mind and hands combine, the results are praiseworthy’. Monuments, forts or other historical buildings are the results of such a combination. The immortal works of sculptors and painters are also the results of such a combination.

Honest work of all types is dignified. They are worthy of respect. There is no discrimination between a sweeper and a mason, a carpenter and a doctor, a farmer and an engineer or a driver and a teacher. If all become doctors, engineers and teachers, there will be none to do the other types of work. Every honest work is important in society.

Children who always have servants to look after them or cater’ to their needs as they grow up, fail to understand the dignity of labour. They do not prove to be good and responsible citizens. They get spoiled from their very childhood. Parents should bring up their children, giving importance to the values of life.

One should not remain idle. One should not be ashamed to do labour. Work is worship. We work and get something in return. Work is an essential need for survival. We must, thus, value the dignity of labour.

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Essay on Mahatma Gandhi

Valuing the dignity of work

Dr. Juan Somavia

In today’s world defending the dignity of work is a constant uphill struggle. Prevailing economic thinking sees work as a cost of production, which in a global economy has to be as low as possible in order to be competitive. It sees workers as consumers who because of their relative low wages need to be given easy access to credit to stimulate consumption and wind up with incredible debts. Nowhere in sight is the societal significance of work as a foundation of personal dignity, as a source of stability and development of families or as a contribution to communities at peace. This is the meaning of ‘decent work’. It is an effort at reminding ourselves that we are talking about policies that deal with the life of human beings not just bottom line issues. It is the reason why the International Labour Organization constitution tells us “Labour is not a commodity. i ” And we know that the quality of work defines in so many ways the quality of a society. And that’s what our policies should be about: keeping people moving into progressively better jobs with living wages, respect for worker rights, nondiscrimination and gender equality, facilitating workers organization and collective bargaining, universal social protection, adequate pensions and access to health care.

All societies face decent work challenges, particularly in the midst of the global crisis that still haunts us. Why is this so difficult? There are many converging historical and policy explanations, but there is a solid underlying fact: in the values of today’s world, capital is more important than labour. The signs have been all over the place—from the unacceptable growth of inequality to the shrinking share of wages in GDP. We must all reflect on the implications for social peace and political stability, including those benefitting from their present advantage.

But things are changing. Many emerging and developing countries have shown great policy autonomy in defining their crisis responses, guided by a keen eye on employment and social protection, as the 2014 Human Development Report advocates. Policies leading to the crisis overvalued the capacity of markets to self-regulate; undervalued the role of the State, public policy and regulations and devalued respect for the environment, the dignity of work and the social services and welfare functions in society. They led into a pattern of unsustainable, inefficient and unfair growth. We have slowly begun to close this policy cycle, but we don’t have a ready-made alternative prepared to take its place.

This is an extraordinary political opportunity and intellectual challenge for the United Nations System. Coming together around a creative post-2015 global vision with clear Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be a first step into a new policy cycle looking at what a post-crisis world should look like. And beyond the United Nations, we need to listen. There is great disquiet and insecurity in too many societies. . And that’s why the insistence of the 2014 Human Development Report on reclaiming the role of full employment, universal social protection and the road to decent work is so important. It builds on the existing consensus of the largest meeting of Heads of State and Government in the history of the United Nations. In their 2005 Summit they stated that “We strongly support fair globalization and resolve to make the goals of full and productive employment and decent work for all, including for women and young people, a central objective of our relevant national and international policies as well as our national development strategies. ii ” So, at least on paper, the commitment is there in no uncertain terms.

Let me finish with one example of the changes necessary for which I believe there is widespread consensus. Strong real economy investments, large and small, with their important job-creating capacity must displace financial operations from the driver’s seat of the global economy. The expansion of short-term profits in financial markets, with little employment to show for it, has channeled away resources from the longer term horizon of sustainable real economy enterprises. The world is awash in liquidity that needs to become productive investments through a regulatory framework ensuring that financial institutions fulfil their original role of channeling savings into the real economy. Also, expanding wage participation in GDP within reasonable inflation rates will increase real demand and serve as a source of sustainable development growth. Moving from committed minimum wage policies to a much fairer distribution of productivity gains and profits should be a point of departure. Dreams or potential reality? We shall see, but no doubt this is what politics and social struggles will be all about in the years to come.

This blog entry is slightly shortened version of a special contribution made to the 2014 Human Development Report “Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience” .

Dr. Juan Somavia is the former Director General of the International Labour Oganization.

Notes: i Constitution of the International Labour Organisation and Selected Texts. Geneva: International Labour Office. www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/leg/download/constitution.pdf . Accessed 25 March 2014. ii UN World Summit Outcome (A/60/L.I) 15 September, 2005. New York. www.un.org/womenwatch/ods/A-RES-60-1-E.pdf . Accessed 25 March 2014.

Photo credit: ILO/Jacek Cislo

The HDialogue blog is a platform for debate and discussion. Posts reflect the views of respective authors in their individual capacities and not the views of UNDP/HDRO.

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Essay on “Dignity of Labour” for School, College Students, Long and Short English Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12, College and Competitive Exams.

Dignity of Labour

Essay No. 01

The dignity of labour means respect and value given to all forms of work. It refers to equal respect for the jobs that involve manual labour. In earlier times, daily several slaves were bought and sold openly in the markets. They lost their dignity and performed all sorts of hard and laborious works. Today, we are living in an independent and democratic age. It has been realized by most of the people that all forms of labour contribute to the welfare and development of society. The labourers through trade unions and different groups have gained success in attaining a recognized position in society.

When we talk about basic rights, the working class do not enjoy that respect which is enjoyed by business executives, white-collared people and merchants. Many learned people do not appreciate and practice. the principle of dignity of labour. They prefer high-profile jobs. For example, a science graduate, who is the son of a wealthy farmer, would like to take up any job in a nearby city rather than to follow his father’s occupation. Thus, it is not wise to look down upon manual labour.

Manual labour is extremely important and necessary for the smooth functioning in society. Although today most of the work in industries and factories is done by machines, production can be paused without the manual assistance of the workers. Lakhs of labourers work imines, agricultural sectors, construction fields and industries. Although they work with the help of machines, it is their duty to operate and maintain the machines. Invention and introduction of machinery have given rise to a new class of industrial workers. If the workers slow or stop the manufacturing of the essential goods even for a few days than the entire nation can suffer a severe setback. Thus, it is our main duty to show them respect and offer dignity.

In many western countries, the dignity of labour is recognized. Young people do not mind in earning money by doing pan-time work as food delivery boy or waiters at the restaurant. Much of the domestic work like cooking food and washing clothes is done by the members of the family. However, in countries like India, domestic servants are scarce and their demands for wages are very high. Many middle-class families pay more to servants to maintain their prestige in society.

A sense of dignity of labour should be conveyed to students in schools and colleges. They should be encouraged to participate in various kinds of programmes. If their minds are cleared of the view that none of the works is undignified and humiliating, the problem of unemployment will be solved to some extent.

Essay No. 02

A domestic help- she cleans, she washes, she even runs house errands but at the end of the day, she is yelled at for leaving a small little mark on the otherwise clean floor. Lenin founded Communism. Mark came up with the idea of socialism. But in a democracy like India, people have the right to do what they want, right? They can treat people of so-called lower stature in any which way.

An honest day’s work does not earn a person’s respect. And not much money either. So in the modern-day and age money earns respect, not the job you do. A mechanic, a domestic help, a driver cannot walk with their heads held high. Even though they work an equal amount of time (sometimes even more), they are looked down upon.

Who decides which work is better? Who decides which form of work deserves respect? Shouldn’t an honest and descent job be enough? But it’s not the case. The dignity of labor is a thing of the past, seems as though it never even existed. The definition of the dignity of labor is no work should be looked on upon. No one should be treated with any less respect just because of the work they do.

In a democratic system, the rights of the people are protected. Everyone is equal in the eyes of law, the government, and the country. But no one is equal in each other’s eyes. Of late the present environment of the society, the dignity of labor is considered one of the major topics dealing with laborers. The ongoing debate on this topic has reached its peak with people coming to know about their rights. Society has come to terms with the act that every job performed by a laborer is a tough one. Also, it has been understood that he is specialized in these jobs and these jobs are an integral part of the functioning of society. These jobs might be considered menial but think about it. Will you get up and wash the utensils every day? Will you wash your car?

The answer to all of the above is that we have to respect every form of work and thus the solution to all of this is Dignity of Labor. Respect people who work, as this will help not only increase employment but also provide the basis for a healthy society.

Essay No. 03

Nature provides us with everything we need, but not in usable forms. With our various activities like agriculture, trade, industry, and learning, we transform the gifts given to us by the Almighty into products useful to us. As a common feature of all these activities, labour in one form or another is an important factor that makes such transformation possible. It is, in fact, the key factor to our very existence. The variety labour matches a variety of our needs. Therefore, each form of labour is important to us in its own way while few people among us work the iron is in nature to make steel, which builds our industries, some others generate power from water, coal or oil, to run them. If another group tills the land to raise crops, yet another transforms them into vital food. It is such distribution of labour among ourselves that helps us survive. We cannot imagine what our lives would be like. If we were unwilling to work or unprepared to engage in different occupations.

Life is a struggle; one must fight the battle of life valiantly. Everybody who takes birth has to die one day. Therefore, one should make the best of life. Time at our disposal is very short. We must make the best use of every minute given to us by God. Life consists of action, not contemplation. Those who do not act, but go on hesitating and postponing things, achieve nothing in life. Such persons as going on thinking and brooding can never attain the height of glory.

A short life full of action is much better than a long life of inactivity and indolence. Tennyson has rightly remarked that one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name. A man lives in deeds, not in years. Age or longevity does not matter. What matters is what one makes of life. Ben Jonson, the scholar-poet writes :

“It is not growing big in bulk like a tree Doth make man better be.”

Life is not an idle dream. Every beat of our heart is taking us nearer to our death. We must not lose any time in crying over the past or worrying about the present. H.W. Longfellow writes in his ‘Psalm of life’ :

“Trust no future, however pleasant; Let the dead past bury its dead Act, act in the living present Heart within, and God overhead.”

Though originally all occupations that were necessary and useful to humanity were encouraged and respected. However, as time passed some prejudices developed against certain occupations especially against those occupations that were relatively unimportant or unpleasant, and those that involved more physical effort than the others, were discriminated against. This tendency, along with the practice of deciding the social status of people, on the basis of their occupations, created unrest in society. Thus before long, the concept of distribution of labour, so essential for the health of society, ended up as its main bane. The unfortunate consequences of the distribution of labour and the deep-rooted prejudices against certain occupations were the main causes of casteism and untouchability, which have been plugging the Indian society for centuries. Through the efforts of many philanthropists and social reformers, who upheld the dignity of labour and restored respect for occupations, much of the prejudices have been eliminated.

However, much more needs to be done before we can realize the ideals of egalitarianism and social amity. Modern education, which helped change the outlook of people, was another factor that revived the dignity of labour. The life of Mahatma Gandhi is a typical example of the contribution of modern education in revolutionizing living. Though Gandhiji was born in a traditional, orthodox Hindu family and had a career as a successful lawyer the exposure he had to the outside world, earned him respect for all types of occupations. Gandhiji’s example is all the more important, because, unlike most others, he practiced the virtues of labour that he preached. It was his practice of cleaning his toilet, which was normally the job or scavengers, that ensured a sense of dignity for that job. He willingly did menial jobs on the farm, and while in jail, learned to cobble shoes. He virtually glamorized the occupation of spinning to the extent, that people of all classes and castes adopted the practice in their lives. Gandhiji’s identical respect for all occupations and his willingness to do or learn all manners of work, helped him establish self-sustaining communities, in India and South Africa. To this day the members of these communities honour the dignity of the labour and do all their work themselves, with no dependence of any kind on others. Thus, respect for labour and ensuring its dignity, give us a sense of independence. If nourished in all the members of community property and that too at the proper stage of life, the dignity of labour will help foster healthy relationships among them, thereby contributing to the strength of the community.

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A philosopher’s view: the benefits and dignity of work

Professor of Philosophy, Macquarie University

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In a recent speech presented at the Sydney Institute, Julia Gillard reaffirmed her commitment to welfare reform aimed at full employment. This was justified not by the need for the government to cut its costs — there was no mention this time of a tough imminent budget–but by an _ethical _principle: work is a social good that governments ought to promote and help make available to everyone, if the circumstances allow it.

Furthermore, pursuit of the goal of full employment, on account of the “benefits and dignity” of working, is not just one political aim amongst others, but the central purpose of the Labor Party, as the prime minister depicted it in her speech. Under her leadership, “a new culture of work” would be entrenched.

Gillard’s speech raises some deep philosophical issues. Is work really a social good? If it is such a good, is it a special one, one that should be prioritized over others?

Is it the legitimate business of democratic governments to promote one conception of the good life over others (in this case, one that involves working) or to favour one particular culture or “ethos”?

Wouldn’t it be fairer to let people choose their own idea of what is good for them?

To get the question of whether work is really a social good into focus, it helps to specify, in suitably abstract terms, the kind of activity that work is.

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle did this by way of a distinction between praxis , which is action done for its own sake, and poiesis , or activity aimed at the production of something useful.

The excellence or worth of _poiesis _consists entirely in the excellence or worth of the thing made by the activity.

This contrasts with _praxis _which, when it goes well, is its own end, worthwhile for its own sake.

Aristotle’s distinction between _poiesis _and _praxis _has had a huge influence on Western thinking about work.

It shaped Christian (especially but not exclusively Catholic) thinking about the value of work and was taken up in various ways by key philosophers of the Enlightenment, such as Adam Smith, and currents of Marxist and neo-classical economic thought in the twentieth century.

The conception of work as _poiesis _rather than _praxis _continues to be dominant to this day.

Work is widely seen as activity which is done exclusively for the sake of something else, as worth doing solely as a means to some external end.

Of course, gainful employment in a market economy always _is _done for the sake of something else: it is how most people make a living for themselves and their families. Work, as gainful employment, is an instrumental good.

It is instrumentally valuable from the individual worker’s point of view because of the income it brings.

And from a broader social-economic point of view, it is instrumental in the creation of the common wealth.

Now if this were the whole story about the value of work, then those who get an income without working, say by gaining an inheritance, or winning the lottery, or even claiming benefits, would not really be missing out on anything.

Indeed, they would be in the enviable position of receiving the benefits of work (income) without having to pay the costs (the effort, the time).

But it is clear that the lives of people who do not work are typically lacking in certain goods.

Research shows that physical and mental health are adversely affected by lack of work. You are more likely to suffer from obesity and depression, for example, if you are unemployed. This may be linked to another good that work helps to provide: self-esteem.

Self-esteem, in the sense of having a perception of the worth of one’s own existence, is bound up with the recognition one receives from others of one’s competences, achievements and contributions.

Your family and friends may love you just for who you are, and you may feel entitled to certain basic rights, like a right to basic welfare, just on account of being a person.

But the status of being a somebody , as the German philosopher Hegel famously put it, depends in modern societies on the public recognition of skills and achievements, which participation in a suitably regulated labour market is able to secure.

This brings us to another good that work can help to realise: the sense of being connected to something larger than oneself.

By participating in the division of labour, the French sociologist Durkheim observed, individuals can come to a livelier appreciation of their dependence on others and the need for cooperation.

And day-to-day practice in the activity of cooperative problem-solving, the American philosopher John Dewey persuasively argued, provides vital training for the citizens of a healthy democracy.

Health, the exercise and development of skills and capacities, self-esteem based on the recognition of one’s achievements, a sense of social connectedness and exposure to the demands of cooperation are some of the intrinsic goods associated with working life that are imperilled by lack of work.

Such goods are not subjective preferences, or expressions of cultural bias, but rationally justifiable ethical objectives that a government can legitimately seek to pursue.

But of course these goods are endangered not just by unemployment, but by the way in which work is actually organised .

Many jobs are in fact bad for your health, they stunt your capacities, they damage your self-esteem, leave you feeling isolated, and seem systematically designed to prevent you from cooperating with anyone.

So if the “new culture of work” called for by the prime minister is to have ethical weight, it needs to involve much more than the provision of more jobs: the _quality _of work has to improve.

For the benefits and dignity of work are as much a matter of what one _does _while working, and of the social relations one enjoys or endures there, as they are of the economic power it brings.

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The Dignity of Labor

Despite the outpouring of praise for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, their own interests continue to come second to the broader public’s need for cheap and reliable labor.

This essay is part of a special section on the pandemic in the Summer 2020 issue .

Even before the coronavirus hit, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that the highest demand for labor in the next decade would be seen in occupations where average pay is less than $35,000 a year. Among these jobs were personal care and home health aides, medical assistants, warehouse workers, janitors, and others now on the front lines of the pandemic.

These essential workers have long faced harsh conditions on the job, regardless of the economic and political context. This was the case even in the 1960s when a tight labor market increased wages for unskilled workers and when organized labor was at its strongest. “So often we overlook the work and the significance of those who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the so-called big jobs,” Martin Luther King Jr. stated to sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. “But let me say to you tonight, that whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity, and it has worth.”

The problems facing the sanitation workers in Memphis stemmed from their exclusion from federal labor laws that had protected the rights of mostly white, male industrial workers to form unions and bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions since the 1930s. This exclusion was rooted in policies aimed at ensuring the availability and affordability of essential goods and services, which stretched back to the Progressive Era. Reformers insisted that rapid urbanization and industrialization required city and state governments to provide services that had previously been performed within private households, such as child care, healthcare, food preparation, cleaning, and waste disposal. They coined the terms “Public Housekeeping” and “Municipal Housekeeping” to explain the transition.

The comparison between domestic and public service helped to legitimize women’s participation in public life and leadership in city government, but it also encouraged officials to adopt racist and sexist assumptions that had informed structures of domestic servitude for centuries. In 1930 the trade journal The American City published an article by a Philadelphia sanitation engineer, which boasted of various methods used to reduce costs and raise funds. It was illustrated with a photograph of African-American women sorting rubbish for material that could be sold or burned for heat. “Colored women are used for this work,” the engineer informed readers, adding: “many typical mammies are found there.”

That a prominent professional journal would employ such derogatory language to describe city employees demonstrates how uncritically assumptions about the value of domestic labor were adapted to essential public services. And through the 1930s, conservatives fretted that increasing public employment would deprive them of low-wage household labor. “Five Negroes on my place in South Carolina refused work this Spring, after I had taken care of them and given them house rent free and work for three years during bad times saying they had easy jobs with the government,” wrote a prominent critic of New Deal employment programs in 1934.

This didn’t mean that these public jobs provided a decent living. Liberals constrained government expenditure by limiting wages and benefits. To ensure public access to inexpensive care, cleaning, and food, for example, Congress excluded farm workers, domestic servants, and public employees from policies designed to assist workers during the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt adopted the language of servitude to explain why these workers were denied collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Acknowledging that their interests were “basically no different from that of employees in private industry,” the president insisted that those concerns were overshadowed by “the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government.” As government expanded to provide healthcare, education, and other essential services in the mid-twentieth century, “The division of labor in public settings mirror[ed] the division of labor in the household,” observed sociologist Evelyn Nakano Glenn.

Essential workers did not accept these arguments. They launched vigorous movements to demand better treatment and compensation. Public employees were the most successful and by the 1950s they emerged as the fastest growing sector of organized labor. While conservatives blocked efforts to extend federal labor protections, states granted limited collective bargaining rights and minimum wage floors to public employees and farm workers in the 1960s and 1970s.

This was the context in which King went to Memphis. Tennessee was among the mostly Southern states that resisted the trend toward legalizing public unions, and the city hired sanitation workers as day laborers without any benefits or job stability. King’s assassination in Memphis steeled the resolve of those striking workers he was there to support, and they went on to win union recognition and wage increases. “What Memphis and the spirit of Memphis did was gave a new kind of recognition to some workers that had been there all along but never recognized,” recalled union leader William Lucy, an organizer of the strike.

But the spirit of Memphis met stiff resistance nationwide, both from conservatives who opposed the expansion of government and from liberals who insisted that government could be expanded without increasing taxes. The recession of the 1970s killed any hope for a federal extension of collective bargaining rights to public employees, and in 1981 Ronald Reagan famously fired 11,345 striking air-traffic controllers after they disobeyed an order to return to work.

While public-sector pay and benefits lagged behind other sectors, a steady beat of misinformation fed broad resentment of reputedly overprivileged government workers. In the early twenty-first century, that same warped envy burst back onto the scene, first directed toward home healthcare workers, who were paid with public funds but hired by private households. A 2007 Supreme Court ruling classified these aides as domestic workers, a move that, according to Nakano Glenn, “decreed that the burden of providing ‘affordable care’ for vulnerable members of society would continue to be borne not by state or federal governments or corporations but by the poorest and most disadvantaged members of the work force.” Similar logic fed the backlash against public-sector unions in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and other states during the Great Recession and the further weakening of federal protections for public employees and domestic workers.

Despite the outpouring of praise for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, their own interests continue to come second to the broader public’s need for cheap and reliable labor. This was evident in Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s opposition to increased unemployment benefits for nurses, on the grounds that this was “literally incentivizing taking people out of the workforce at a time when we need critical infrastructure supplied with workers.” But it may also be limiting Democrats’ support for proposals such as the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act (which was referred to the House Committee on Education last June and remains there) and Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ro Khanna’s recent Essential Workers Bill of Rights.

Politicians’ resistance or reluctance to support worker power indicates that we are not yet prepared, as King hoped over fifty years ago, to respect “the dignity of labor.” But as he and those who went on strike from collecting garbage knew, together workers can force that recognition by depriving us of the essential services they provide.

William P. Jones is professor of history at the University of Minnesota, the Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund Scholar-in-Residence at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, President of the Labor and Working-Class History Association and author of The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights . He is writing a book about race and labor in the public sector.

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Dignity of work essay | dignity of labour essay with quotations | dignity of labour essay with outline.

essay on dignity of work, dignity of work essay with outline, importance of dignity of labour in points, dignity of labour pdf, dignity of work essay

Self-respect and dignity both in thoughts and actions have been the main traits of great personalities history preserves the names and deeds of such men in golden words as led their lives in a dignified manner. They did not give in before False ego, inferiority or superiority complex, and self-pity. they fixed some goals for themselves and then with unflinching determination, perseverance and diligence tried to achieve that goal.

They passed through many tests and trials but faced each ordeal with a smiling face without begging for mercy or seeking any dishonest means. their lives bear witness to the fact that labor, hard work, or diligence whether it is manual or mental pleasant or unpleasant is the only assurance or guarantee for a dignified and successful life. You can earn heaps of money by using dishonest and illegal means but this money can never earn you respect and dignity. A poor laborer who earns his living with his own hands is far more respectable than a millionaire who accumulates money through unfair means.

Money can give a dishonest person comforts in life but not a clean conscience and peace of mind. Peace is the lot of only the person who believes in the purity and dignity of work.

Our holy Prophet (PBUH) was the king of the kings. He could get every comfort and luxury of a life without doing any work himself. But he chose a dignified way of life. He worked as a shepherd and then as a merchant and earned his living by working with his own hands. Not only this but he also used to mend his clothes himself, clean his room, and do other domestic errands. His style of life lent dignity and importance to work. He advised his followers to work hard and not to feel shame in doing any kind of manual or menial work.

Idleness is like a moth that eats up a man's vitality and verve and makes him mentally mean and abject. The lazy and the work shirker do not hesitate from begging and even selling their honor for a few rupees. An idle person has no self-respect and so other people too do not respect him. It is said that an honorable death is better than a life full of humiliation and disgrace.

Some people consider manual work insulting and below their standards. They forget that it is manual work that translates mental work into reality and gives it a concrete form. the idea in mind is good but they are useful only when they are given some practical shape.

Work whether it is manual, menial, or mental is sacred if it is done with a good intention using honest means. Such work gives dignity, sobriety, and gravity to our personalities and leads us from one success to another.

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Student Essays

Essay on Dignity of Labour

The labor has a great dignity within itself. It’s the symbol of a man’s integrity and upright consciousness. The labor is done to achieve or earn things in life in a great meaningful and well acceptable ways. No one should be ashamed of doing labor. The following Essay on Labor talks about the meaning and concept of labor, reasons why labor has got great dignity and how we should promote the respect of labor among students etc.

Essay on Dignity of Labor | Meaning & Concept of Dignity of Labor Essay

The dignity is integrated instinct in human being. It is the sense of self-respect which we carry within ourselves. It is the feeling that we are not just animals, but human beings with a special quality, a spiritual component in addition to our physical makeup. The labour is an important activity to fulfill the instinct of dignity.

Labour is not just a physical activity. It is something that we do with our mind, body and soul. It is an activity that helps us to grow as human beings and to realize our potential. The satisfaction that we get from labour is not just material; it is also spiritual. When we do something with our hands, we feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. This is because we are using our God-given talents to make a contribution to society.

>>>>> Related Post: ” Essay on Feudalism & Its Impacts “

Why Labor has Dignity?

Labour is the source of all wealth. It is through labour that we create value and produce goods and services. It is the foundation of our economy and our society. Labour has dignity because it is the source of our sustenance and well-being. It is through labour that we provide for our families, build our homes, and create a better future for our children.

Labour also has dignity because it is an expression of our creativity and our humanity. When we work, we are using our minds and our bodies to create something new. We are using our talents and abilities to make a contribution to the world.

Labour has dignity because it is essential to our survival. We need to work in order to provide for our basic needs. We need to labour in order to build a better life for ourselves and our families. Labour has dignity because it is the key to human progress. It is through labour that we create wealth and improve our standard of living. It is through labour that we make our society more prosperous and more equitable.

Labour has dignity because it is a source of human fulfilment. It is through labour that we express our talents and abilities. It is through labour that we realize our potential. We should respect the labor. It is the foundation of our economy and our society. It is essential to our survival. It is the key to human progress. It is a source of human fulfilment. We should also respect the workers. They are the ones who make our economy and our society run. They are the ones who create wealth and improve our standard of living.

>>>>> Related Post: ” Essay on Poverty in India “

The dignity of labour is an important concept because it reminds us that all work has value. All work is essential to our survival, to our well-being, and to our progress as a society. All work is a source of human fulfilment. We should respect all forms of labour, and all workers, regardless of their occupation or social status.

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Philosophical Approaches to Work and Labor

Work is a subject with a long philosophical pedigree. Some of the most influential philosophical systems devote considerable attention to questions concerning who should work, how they should work, and why. For example, in the ideally just city outlined in the Republic , Plato proposed a system of labor specialization, according to which individuals are assigned to one of three economic strata, based on their inborn abilities: the laboring or mercantile class, a class of auxiliaries charged with keeping the peace and defending the city, or the ruling class of ‘philosopher-kings’. Such a division of labor, Plato argued, will ensure that the tasks essential to the city’s flourishing will be performed by those most capable of performing them.

In proposing that a just society must concern itself with how work is performed and by whom, Plato acknowledged the centrality of work to social and personal life. Indeed, most adults spend a significant time engaged in work, and many contemporary societies are arguably “employment-centred” (Gorz 2010). In such societies, work is the primary source of income and is ‘normative’ in the sociological sense, i.e., work is expected to be a central feature of day-to-day life, at least for adults.

Arguably then, no phenomenon exerts a greater influence on the quality and conditions of human life than work. Work thus deserves the same level of philosophical scrutiny as other phenomena central to economic activity (for example, markets or property) or collective life (the family, for instance).

The history of philosophy contains an array of divergent perspectives concerning the place of work in human life (Applebaum 1992, Schaff 2001, Budd 2011, Lis and Soly 2012, Komlosy 2018). Traditional Confucian thought, for instance, embraces hard work, perseverance, the maintenance of professional relations, and identification with organizational values. The ancient Mediterranean tradition, exemplified by Plato and Aristotle, admired craft and knowledge-driven productive activity while also espousing the necessity of leisure and freedom for a virtuous life. The Christian tradition contains several different views of work, including that work is toil for human sin, that work should be a calling or vocation by which one glorifies God or carries out God’s will, and that work is an arena in which to manifest one’s status as elect in the eyes of God (the ‘Protestant work ethic’). The onset of the Industrial Revolution and the adverse working conditions of industrial labor sparked renewed philosophical interest in work, most prominently in Marxist critiques of work and labor that predict the alienation of workers under modern capitalism and the emergence of a classless society in which work is minimized or equitably distributed.

Philosophical attention to work and labor seems to increase when work arrangements or values appear to be in flux. For example, recent years have witnessed an increase in philosophical research on work, driven at least in part by the perception that is in ‘crisis’: Economic inequality in employment-centred societies continues to rise, technological automation seems poised to eliminate jobs and to augur an era of persistent high unemployment, and dissatisfaction about the quality or meaningfulness of work in present day jobs appears to be increasing (Schwartz 2015, Livingston 2016, Graeber 2018, Danaher 2019). Many scholars now openly question whether work should be treated as a ‘given’ in modern societies (Weeks 2011).

This entry will attempt to bring systematicity to the extant philosophical literature on work by examining the central conceptual, ethical, and political questions in the philosophy of work and labor (Appiah 2021).

1. Conceptual Distinctions: Work, Labor, Employment, Leisure

2.1 the goods of work, 2.2 opposition to work and work-centred culture, 3.1 distributive justice, 3.2 contributive and productive justice, 3.3 equality and workplace governance, 3.4 gender, care, and emotional labor, 4. work and its future, 5. conclusion, other internet resources, related entries.

It is not difficult to enumerate examples of work. Hence, Samuel Clark:

by work I mean the familiar things we do in fields, factories, offices, schools, shops, building sites, call centres, homes, and so on, to make a life and a living. Examples of work in our commercial society include driving a taxi, selling washing machines, managing a group of software developers, running a till in a supermarket, attaching screens to smartphones on an assembly line, fielding customer complaints in a call centre, and teaching in a school (Clark 2017: 62).

Some contemporary commentators have observed that human life is increasingly understood in work-like terms: parenthood is often described as a job, those with romantic difficulties are invited to ‘work on’ their relationships, those suffering from the deaths of others are advised to undertake ‘grief work,’ and what was once exercise is now ‘working out’ (Malesic 2017). The diversity of undertakings we designate as ‘work’, and the apparent dissimilarities among them, have led some philosophers to conclude that work resists any definition (Muirhead 2007: 4, Svendsen 2015) or is at best a loose concept in which different instances of work share a ‘family resemblance’ (Pence 2001: 96–97).

The porousness of the notion of work notwithstanding, some progress in defining work seems possible by first considering the variety of ways in which work is organized. For one, although many contemporary discussions of work focus primarily on employment , not all work takes the form of employment. It is therefore important not to assimilate work to employment, because not every philosophically interesting claim that is true of employment is true of work as such, and vice versa. In an employment relationship, an individual worker sells their labor to another in exchange for compensation (usually money), with the purchaser of their labor serving as a kind of intermediary between the worker and those who ultimately enjoy the goods that the worker helps to produce (consumers). The intermediary, the employer , typically serves to manage (or appoints those who manage) the hired workers — the employees—, setting most of the terms of what goods are thereby to be produced, how the process of production will be organized, etc. Such an arrangement is what we typically understand as having a job .

But a worker can produce goods without their production being mediated in this way. In some cases, a worker is a proprietor , someone who owns the enterprise as well as participating in the production of the goods produced by that enterprise (for example, a restaurant owner who is also its head chef). This arrangement may also be termed self-employment , and differs from arrangements in which proprietors are not workers in the enterprise but merely capitalize it or invest in it. And some proprietors are also employers, that is, they hire other workers to contribute their labor to the process of production. Arguably, entrepreneurship or self-employment, rather than having a job, has been the predominant form of work throughout human history, and it continues to be prevalent. Over half of all workers are self-employed in parts of the world such as Africa and South Asia, and the number of self-employed individuals has been rising in many regions of the globe (International Labor Organization 2019). In contrast, jobs — more or less permanent employment relationships — are more a byproduct of industrial modernity than we realise (Suzman 2021).

Employees and proprietors are most often in a transactional relationship with consumers; they produce goods that consumers buy using their income. But this need not be the case. Physicians at a ‘free clinic’ are not paid by their patients but by a government agency, charity, etc. Nevertheless, such employees expect to earn income from their work from some source. But some instances of work go unpaid or uncompensated altogether. Slaves work, as do prisoners in some cases, but their work is often not compensated. So too for those who volunteer for charities or who provide unpaid care work , attending to the needs of children, the aged, or the ill.

Thus, work need not involve working for others, nor need it be materially compensated. These observations are useful inasmuch as they indicate that certain conditions we might presume to be essential to work (being employed, being monetarily compensated) are not in fact essential to it. Still, these observations only inform as to what work is not. Can we say more exactly what work is ?

Part of the difficulty in defining work is that whether a person’s actions constitute work seems to depend both on how her actions shape the world as well on the person’s attitudes concerning those actions. On the one hand, the activity of work is causal in that it modifies the world in some non-accidental way. As Bertrand Russell (1932) remarked, “work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so.” But work involves altering the world in presumptively worthwhile ways. In this respect, work is closely tied to the production of what Raymond Geuss (2021:5) has called ‘objective’ value, value residing in “external” products that can be “measured and valued independently of anything one might know about the process through which that product came to be or the people who made it.” By working, we generate goods (material objects but also experiences, states of mind, etc.) that others can value and enjoy in their own right. In most cases of work (for example, when employed), a person is compensated not for the performance of labor as such but because their labor contributes to the production of goods that have such ‘objective’ value. Note, however, that although work involves producing what others can enjoy or consume, sometimes the objective value resulting from work is not in fact enjoyed by others or by anyone at all. A self-sufficient farmer works by producing food solely for their own use, in which case the worker (rather than others) ends up consuming the objective value of their work. Likewise, the farmer who works to produce vegetables for market that ultimately go unsold has produced something whose objective value goes unconsumed.

Geuss has suggested a further characteristic of work, that it is “necessary” for individuals and for “societies as a whole” (2021:18). Given current and historical patterns of human life, work has been necessary to meet human needs. However, if some prognostications about automation and artificial intelligence prove true (see section 4 on ‘The Future of Work’), then the scarcity that has defined the human condition up to now may be eliminated, obviating the necessity of work at both the individual and societal level. Moreover, as Geuss observes, some work aims to produce goods that answer to human wants rather than human needs or necessities (that is, to produce luxuries), and some individuals manage to escape the necessity of work thanks to their antecedent wealth.

Still, work appears to have as one of its essential features that it be an activity that increases the objective (or perhaps intersubjective) value in the world. Some human activities are therefore arguably not work because they generate value for the actor instead of for others. For instance, work stands in contrast to leisure . Leisure is not simply idleness or the absence of work, nor is it the absence of activity altogether (Pieper 1952, Walzer 1983: 184–87, Adorno 2001, Haney and Kline 2010). When at leisure, individuals engage in activities that produce goods for their own enjoyment largely indifferent to the objective value that these activities might generate for others. The goods resulting from a person’s leisure are bound up with the fact that she generates them through her activity. We cannot hire others to sunbathe for us or enjoy a musical performance for us because the value of such leisure activities is contingent upon our performing the activities. Leisure thus produces subjective value that we ‘make’ for ourselves, value that (unlike the objective value generated from work) cannot be transferred to or exchanged with others. It might also be possible to create the objective value associated with working despite being at leisure. A professional athlete, for instance, might be motivated to play her sport as a form of leisure but produce (and be monetarily compensated for the production of) objective value for others (spectators who enjoy the sport). Perhaps such examples are instances of work and leisure or working by way of leisure.

Some accounts of work emphasize not the nature of the value work produces but the individual’s attitudes concerning work. For instance, many definitions of work emphasize that work is experienced as exertion or strain (Budd 2011:2, Veltman 2016:24–25, Geuss 2021: 9–13). Work, on this view, is inevitably laborious. No doubt work is often strenuous. But defining work in this way seems to rule out work that is sufficiently pleasurable to the worker as to hardly feel like a burden. An actor may so enjoy performing that it hardly feels like a strain at all. Nevertheless, the performance is work inasmuch as the actor must deliberately orient their activities to realize the objective value the performance may have for others. Her acting will not succeed in producing this objective value unless she is guided by a concern to produce the value by recalling and delivering her lines, etc. In fact, the actor may find performing pleasurable rather than a burden because she takes great satisfaction in producing this objective value for others. Other work involves little exertion of strain because it is nearly entirely passive; those who are paid subjects in medical research are compensated less for their active contribution to the research effort but simply “to endure” the investigative process and submit to the wills of others (Malmqvist 2019). Still, the research subject must also be deliberate in their participation, making sure to abide by protocols that ensure the validity of the research. Examples such as these suggest that a neglected dimension of work is that, in working, we are paradigmatically guided by the wills of others, for we are aiming in our work activities to generate goods that others could enjoy.

2. The Value of Work

The proposed definition of work as the deliberate attempt to produce goods that others can enjoy or consume indicates where work’s value to those besides the worker resides. And the value that work has to others need not be narrowly defined in terms of specific individuals enjoying or consuming the goods we produce. Within some religious traditions, work is way to serve God and or one’s community.

But these considerations do not shed much light on the first-personal value of work: What value does one’s work have to workers? How do we benefit when we produce goods that others could enjoy?

On perhaps the narrowest conception of work’s value, it only has exchange value. On this conception, work’s value is measured purely in terms of the material goods it generates for the worker, either in monetary terms or in terms of work’s products (growing one’s own vegetables, for instance). To view work as having exchange value is to see its value as wholly extrinsic; there is no value to work as such, only value to be gained from what one’s work concretely produces. If work only has exchange value, then work is solely a cost or a burden, never worth doing for its own sake. Echoing the Biblical tale of humanity’s fall, this conception of work’s value casts it as a curse foisted upon us due to human limitations or inadequacies.

But work is often valued for other reasons. One powerful bit of evidence in favour of work’s being valued for reasons unrelated to its exchange value comes from studies of (involuntary) unemployment. Unemployment usually adverse economic effects on workers, inasmuch as it deprives them, at least temporarily, of income. But prolonged unemployment also has measurable negative effects on individuals’ health, both physical and mental (Calvo et al 2015, Margerison-Zilko et al. 2016, Helliwell et al 2017), as well as being among the most stressful of live events. (Holmes and Rahe 1967). That being deprived of work is evidently so detrimental to individual well-being indicates that work matters for many beyond a paycheck.

Many of the goods of work are linked to the fact that work is nearly always a social endeavour. As Cynthia Estlund (2003:7) observes, “the workplace is the single most important site of cooperative interaction and sociability among adult citizens outside the family.” Individuals thus seek out many social goods through work. Gheaus and Herzog (2016) propose that in addition to providing us wages, work fulfills various social roles. For example, work is a primary means by which individuals can achieve a sense of community. In working with others, we can establish bonds that contribute to our sense of belonging and that enable us to contribute to a distinctive workplace culture. In a similar vein, communitarian theorists often argue that work, by embedding us in shared practices or traditions, is essential to social life (Walzer 1983, Breen 2007). MacIntyre (1984:187) defines a practice as a “any coherent and complex form of socially established cooperative activity through which goods internal to that form of activity are realised in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and partially definitive of, that form of activity.” Those working together in (say) a bakery are cooperating to produce the goods internal to that activity (bread), with the result that they extend their capacities and enrich their appreciation of the goods they cooperatively produce.

Many philosophers have closely linked work’s value to different aspects of human rationality. For instance, philosophers inspired by thinkers such as Aristotle have underscored work’s ability to allow us to perfect ourselves by developing and exercising our rational potential in worthwhile ways. On this picture, work is a central arena for the realization of our natures across our lifetimes (Clark 2017). Marxists typically agree that work allows us to develop and exercise our rational powers, but add that work’s value also resides in how it enables us to make those powers visible by imparting human form to a natural world that would otherwise remain alien to us. Hence, for Marxists, work is an expression of our active nature, a pathway to self-realization inasmuch as work creates products that “objectify” the human will. Work thus represents a counterweight to the passive consumption characteristic of modern societies (Elster 1989, Sayers 2005).

Another value associated with work is meaningfulness . Philosophical inquiry into meaningful work often parallels philosophical inquiry into the meaning of life . One central dispute about meaningful work is whether it is fundamentally subjective (a matter of how a worker feels about her work), fundamentally objective (a matter of the qualities of one’s work or of the products one makes), or both (Yeoman 2014, Michaelson 2021). Some accounts of meaningful work are broadly Kantian, seeing meaningful work as grounded in the value of autonomy (Schwartz 1982, Bowie 1998, Roessler 2012). Such accounts judge work as meaningful to the extent that it is freely entered into, affords workers opportunities to exercise their own independent judgment, and allows them to pursue ends of their own that are to some extent distinct from the ends mandated by their employers. Other accounts locate the meaningfulness of work in its potential to enhance our capabilities, to manifest virtues such as pride or self-discipline, or to emotionally engage our sense of purpose (Beadle and Knight 2012, Svendsen 2015, Yeoman 2014, Veltman 2016).

At the same time, some argue that meaningful work is in turn a precondition of other important goods. John Rawls, for example, proposed that a lack of opportunity for meaningful work undermines self-respect, where self-respect is the belief that our plan for our lives is both worth pursuing and attainable through our intentional efforts. Meaningful work, as Rawls understood it, involves enjoying the exercise of our capacities, particularly our more complex capacities. Given that meaningful work is a “social basis” for self-respect, a just and stable society may have to offer meaningful work by serving as an “employer of last resort” if such work is otherwise unavailable (Rawls 1996, Moriarty 2009).

Recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in the dignity of work. Christian thought, and Catholicism in particular (John Paul II 1981), has long advocated that work manifests the dignity inherent in human beings. The claim that “all work has dignity,” regardless of its nature or of how much social esteem it enjoys, rests on egalitarian ideals about labor, ideals articulated by Black American thinkers such as Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. As Washington expressed it, “there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem” (Washington 1901:220). At the same time however, this tradition has also deployed the notion of dignity as a critical concept, to highlight labor injustice and to decry exploitative forms of work (including slavery) that fail to serve or uplift humanity (Washington 1901: 148, King 2011: 171–72, Veltman 2016: 29–31). This position thus seems to assert that work as such has dignity but that work can also vary in its dignity depending on workers’ economic conditions or social status. More recent philosophical scholarship on the dignity of work has investigated its relationship to human rights. For instance, Paolo Gilabert (2018) distinguishes between dignity as a status and dignity as a condition. Status dignity is grounded in certain valuable capacities that individuals have, capacities that in turn that require workers be treated with respect and concern. Condition dignity is achieved when individuals are treated in accordance with the ‘dignitarian’ norms mandated by such respect or concern. Gilabert’s distinction may allow the affirmation both of the inherent dignity of work, inasmuch as work gives evidence of human capacities worthy of respect, and of the claim that failing to provide decent working conditions is at odds with (but does not undermine) dignity.

That work is a potential source of income, social and personal goods, meaning, or dignity, does not entail that work in fact provides these goods or that work is good for us on balance . Since the Industrial Revolution in particular, many philosophers and social theorists have been sceptical about the value of work and of the work-centred cultures typical of contemporary affluent societies (Deranty 2015).

Crucially, much of the scepticism surrounding the value of work is not scepticism about the value of work per se but scepticism about the value of work in present day social conditions or scepticism about the veneration of work found in the “Protestant work ethic” (Weber 1904–05) or in work-centred societies. Sceptics about work-centred culture question whether popular enthusiasm for work is rational or well-informed or whether it gives adequate credence to alternatives to work-centred culture (Cholbi 2018b, Sage 2019). Indeed, many critics of contemporary work arrangements essentially argue that good or desirable work is possible but rarer than we suppose. In “Useful Work versus Useful Toil,” (1884), for example, the socialist activist William Morris rejects “the creed of modern morality that all labor is good in itself” and argues for a distinction between work that is “a blessing, a lightening of life” and work that is “a mere curse, a burden to life,” offering us no hope of rest, no hope of producing anything genuinely useful, and no hope of pleasure in its performance. Similarly, the anarchist Bob Black opens his essay “The Abolition of Work” (1985) as follows:

No one should ever work. Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world. Almost any evil you’d care to name comes from working or from living in a world designed for work. In order to stop suffering, we have to stop working.

But Black proceeds to define work as “forced labor, that is, compulsory production.” His ‘abolition’ of work is thus compatible with individuals voluntarily engaging in economically productive activities, which (as we have seen) can resemble work in its essentials.

Danaher (2019:54) allows that work can contribute to human well-being, but as presently organized, the world of work is “structurally bad” and unlikely to change in these respects:

The labor market in most developed countries has settled into an equilibrium pattern that makes work very bad for many people, that is getting worse as a result of technical and institutional changes, and that is very difficult to reform or improve in such a way as to remove its bad-making properties.

Thus, even those espousing stridently ‘anti-work’ positions usually target not work as such, but work as it has been organized or understood in the contemporary world. Indeed, much of their ire is directed at current conditions of employment, which (as noted earlier) is only one prominent species work can take.

The sceptical case against work or work culture has many dimensions, but can be fruitfully analysed as having four strands:

Goods not realized: While work can be a source of various goods, many people’s working lives fail to provide them these goods. Popular enthusiasm for work thus seems misplaced, according to work sceptics, for “the moral sanctity of work is painfully out of step with the way that a vast proportion of people actually experience their jobs” (Frayne 2015: 62–63).

With respect to the exchange value of work, work is often poorly compensated or insecure. Contemporary economies are increasingly characterized by a ‘hollowing out’ of middle class labor, wherein wages continue to increase for those at the upper end of the wage scale, wages stagnate at the bottom end of the scale, and the number of workers in the middle strata shrinks. This has resulted in the emergence of a class of ‘working poor,’ individuals who lack sufficient income to pay for basic needs such as housing or food despite being employed.

Many of the other potential goods of work are enjoyed by some workers, but many receive little social recognition or do not achieve a greater sense of community through their work. A good deal of socially valuable or ‘essential’ work is largely invisible to its beneficiaries. Many jobs are dull or unchallenging, contributing little to the development or exercise of our more sophisticated human capacities. It is difficult to envision, for instance, that toll booth workers find their jobs or stimulating or challenging (aside from testing their ability to withstand repetition or boredom).

Modern work has been oriented around the division of labor , i.e., the increasing separation of productive processes into ever smaller tasks. (The factory assembly line provides the model here.) The division of labor results in workers becoming hyper-specialists, who repetitively perform narrow or simple tasks. Although the division of labor increases overall economic productivity, critics such as the classical economist Adam Smith worried that it eventually makes workers “as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human creature to become.” (Smith 1776 [1976]: V.1.178) As to meaning or dignity, a wide swath of human work neither engages workers nor allows them to exercise their autonomous judgment, and many work in oppressive or exploitative conditions seemingly at odds with the dignity of the work they perform.

Internal tensions among work goods: A characteristic of work-centred societies is that their members look to work to provide them with many different goods. But work (and employment in particular) may be ill-suited to provide this package of goods, i.e., work may be capable of providing some of these goods but only at the expense of others. For instance, many of the professions that individuals view as offering the greatest opportunities for meaningful work (such as education, counseling, or care for the sick, young, or disabled) are among the poorest paid professions. Contemporary labor markets thus seem to offer a workers the opportunity for an inadequate income or meaningful work, but rarely both. The psychologist Barry Schwartz argues (2015) that our non-material motivations for work, such as seeking meaningfulness, social engagement, and opportunities for autonomy, are in motivational competition with the monetary incentives associated with work. The monetary incentives distort workplace attitudes and behaviours so that the non-material goods we seek in work are crowded out by a focus on productivity and the economic goods work makes available. That labor markets are competitive may also undermine the social benefits of work, for even those who succeed in the labor market do so by being ‘pitted against’ other workers in ways that reduce solidarity among them, turning fellow citizens into rivals who are indifferent (or even hostile to) each other’s interests (Hussain 2020).

Unrecognized bads or costs: Sceptics also point to ‘bads’ or costs associated with work that tend to go unrecognized. The most obvious of these is the opportunity costs resulting from the amount of time spent working. Typically, full-time workers spend 1,500–2,500 hours per year on the job, equivalent to around nine to fifteen weeks annually. These are hours that, were they not allocated to working, could be devoted to leisure, sleep, exercise, family life, civic and community engagement, and so on (Rose 2016). These hours do not include the considerable amount of time that workers expend on training or educating themselves for work or on commuting to and from workplaces. Nor does it include the hours that many salaried workers are expected to be ‘connected’ or ‘on call’ by their employers. Formal employment also tends to preclude workers from work other than that performed for their employers, with the result that workers often end up paying other workers for that labor. Such costs include the hiring of housekeepers, child care providers, maintenance experts and landscapers, etc. And while unemployment seems to have adverse effects on our physical and mental well-being, working is not free of adverse health effects either, including stress, emotional frustration, and physical ailments from repetitive work tasks or ergonomic deficiencies in workplace design.

Sceptics also argue that when work fails to deliver certain kinds of goods, workers suffer certain psychological bads. Three such classes of bads merit particular attention:

Marx’s critique of work under capitalism rests on the notion that work often lacks goods whose absence gives rise to the further bad of alienation . Marx (1844) proposed that work under capitalism alienates workers from what they produce, inasmuch as workers have little if any say over what is produced and how; from the act of work itself, inasmuch as workers are compelled by economic necessity to work and so do not take intrinsic satisfaction in working; from their own human nature or “species-essence,” inasmuch as workers do not witness their own agency or intentions “objectified” in the products of their work; and from other workers, inasmuch as capitalism treats workers as interchangeable inputs of production and pits worker against worker. In terms of our earlier enumeration of the goods of work, Marx’s appeal to alienation suggests that the absence of these goods is not merely a lack or a deprivation but is a positive bad of work in its own right (Elster 1989, Brudney 1998, Kandiyali 2020).
Many work sceptics emphasize how work may distort our priorities or values. The value of work, in their eyes, has come to be an unquestioned ethical dogma. “The economists and the moralists have cast a sacred halo over work,” according to Paul LaFargue (1883), instilling us in the “delusion” of the “love of work.” (See also Frayne 2015.) Bertrand Russell (1932) argued that the veneration of work has eroded our appreciation of the value of leisure and idleness. (See also O’Connor 2018.) Economists such as Keynes (1930) observed that the dramatic increases in economic productivity have often not led to reductions in work time, a development he attributes to a work ethic that stymies our capacity to enjoy leisure and abundance.
The social cachet of work may end up warping our moral relationship to ourselves, treating ourselves not as intrinsically valuable but as mere instruments of production. Hannah Arendt (1958) argued that conceiving of ourselves primarily as workers leads to a sort of instrumental stance on ourselves and other human agents, in which we come to view ourselves purely as resources for production or sites of consumption. More recent critics have proposed that work-centred cultures encourage us to view the self as a commodity to be ‘branded’ or marketed to prospective employers (Davis 2003).

Lastly, work can have costs to others besides workers themselves. The aforementioned opportunity costs deriving from time devoted to work may worsen workers’ relationships with others or bar their communities from making use of those workers’ skills for socially worthwhile purposes. Some work arguably makes workers complicit in harmful or unjust practices, such as the sale of tobacco or unhealthy foods. Workers may also impose negative externalities through their work. For example, working outside the home typically results in a greater environmental impact, including contributions to the carbon outputs responsible for global climate change (James 2018).

Alternatives sources of work-related goods: A last thread in ‘anti-work’ thinking is that, even to the degree that work is good, it is not obviously uniquely situated to provide the goods it provides. A sense of social recognition or identity can be rooted in domains of human life besides employment, such as volunteer work, family life, religion, or friendship. “Ludic” activities, i.e., play, can offer opportunities to exercise and hone our rational capacities (Black 1985, Nguyen 2019). Some have proposed that virtual reality will provide us simulacra of work-like activities that could thereby substitute for work itself. Contrary to Gheaus and Herzog (2016) then, work may not be a “a privileged context” for realizing the goods we associate with work.

Anti-work theorists typically call for work to be re-valued such that individuals will ‘work to live, not live to work,’ as well as policies (such as reductions in the mandated weekly working time) to minimize the influence of work on our quality of life. That work is both unavoidable and seemingly necessary but frustrating might suggest the wisdom of an ironic stance toward work (de Botton 2010).

3. Justice and the Politics of Work

Human societies can be seen as cooperative endeavours aimed at securing their members’ interests. If so, then social justice will be centrally concerned with those practices within societies by which individuals cooperate to produce goods for one another’s use. Work is therefore a central concern of social justice. Questions of work and justice arise both with respect to the design of institutions and the choices of individuals.

Most accounts of justice assume that a large number of individuals within a given society will engage in paid work. A crucial moral question, then, is what individuals are entitled to with respect to both the benefits and the harms of work. How, in other words, are the goods and bads of work justly distributed?

One possible answer to this question is that each worker is entitled to whatever benefits their talents and abilities enable them to secure in a labor market governed purely by supply and demand. This answer entails that those whose talents or abilities are in high demand and/or short supply will command greater benefits from prospective employers than those whose talents or abilities are in low demand and/or generously supplied (Boatright 2010). (This same logic would apply to those who use their labor to produce goods for sale rather than those in employment arrangements.)

After the early decades of the twentieth century, many nations implemented policies at odds with this ‘pure market’ vision of work and labor. Most have wage regulations, for example, mandating a minimum level of pay. But the justice of minimum levels of pay is disputed, with some theorists arguing that disallowing a person to sell her labor at a price she judges adequate infringes on her personal liberty. According to many libertarian thinkers, our labor is an exercise of our bodies or our talents, each of which we own in a way akin to our ownership of private property. To disallow someone the right to sell their labor even at a very low cost thus infringes on their rights of self-ownership. (Mack 2002) The fairness of wage differentials is also disputed. Should wages track the economic value of a worker’s contributions or their effort, or are wages primarily an incentive to encourage worker commitment and motivation? (Heath 2018, Moriarty 2020) Some theorists have proposed that inequalities in pay ought to be eliminated altogether (Örtenblad 2021), while some supporters of an unconditional basic income, in which individuals receive regular payments regardless of their working status, see it an alternative way to ensure a sufficient minimum income, one immune to workers becoming unemployed (van Parijs and Vanderbroght 2017).

Distributive justice also pertains to various protections against harms or wrongs associated with work. Again, most societies place legal limitations on various conditions of work. These include protections against overwork via limitations on the length of the workday or workweek; bans on discrimination in hiring or promotion based on race, gender, religion, or other social categories; assurances that workplace risks and dangers are mitigated; and, at a wider societal level, prohibitions aimed at ensuring that individuals lives are not dominated by work at particular life stages (bans on child labor and provisions to make retirement possible). One important moral question about these protections is whether workers should have the right to bargain away some of these protections either for increased pay (as when employees negotiate higher wages in exchange for performing more dangerous jobs) or for enhancements in other protections.

The questions of distributive justice addressed in the previous section concern what goods workers receive from work if they work at all. But critical questions about justice also pertain to whether workers are entitled to work and whether they are obligated to do so. Work thus raises questions of contributive and productive justice respectively.

For one, do workers have a right to work in the first place? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states as much, assuring each individual “the right to work, to free employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.” (United Nations 1948, Article 23) A right to work would presumably be more than a negative liberty, i.e., not simply a right that others not interfere with one’s attempts to work, secure employment, etc., but a claim to be provided work if one wishes (Schaff 2017). The right to work has been defended both for specific populations (such as the disabled; see Kavka 1992) or for the populace writ large (Tcherneva 2020). If there is such a right, it will presumably be because work is an essential (or at least the prevailing) means for the acquisition of vital goods. Elster (1988) proposes a job guarantee on the grounds that work is essential to self-realization. Gomberg (2007) argues that work is a key social good because it is the primary path by which to make a socially validated contribution to one’s wider community, a contribution that can provide us recognition and a sense of meaning. Two crucial questions that arise in connection with the putative right to work are (a) against whom is this right held, i.e., who must provide work if workers have a right to it, or (b) whether work provided so as to honour this right will in fact provide the goods on which the right to work is based (e.g., the work provided under a government-provided job guarantee could prove unfulfilling).

A right to work would mean that any person (or at least any adult) who wished to work would be able to do so. But do individuals have a right not to work, or is work in any sense morally obligatory? The most obvious basis for such an obligation appeals to notions of fair play or reciprocity : Individuals act wrongly when they fail to contribute to social enterprises from which they benefit, and since the productive economy benefits most everyone in a society, individuals have an obligation to contribute to the productive economy by working. (Becker 1980, White 2003) Opponents of this fair play rationale argue that the conditions for just reciprocal relations between societies and particular groups (e.g., the ghetto poor; see Shelby 2012) do not obtain, thereby exempting members of such groups from the obligation to work, or that contemporary economic developments fail to provide the background conditions for the obligation to apply (Cholbi 2018a). Other opponents of an obligation to work argue that it represents a violation of the state’s duty to treat citizens equally; citizens who are compelled to work are made to pursue a conception of the good life with which they may not agree, and a just state should treat citizens as equals by remaining neutral among rival conceptions of the good life (van Parijs 1991, Levine 1995). An obligation to work would in effect amount to the state’s endorsement of the ‘work ethic’ and the rejection of ways of life (e.g., being a beachcomber) that themselves oppose the work ethic. Other opponents of a duty to work argue that requiring individuals to work is likely to stand in the way of self-realization for particular people (Maskivker 2012).

Another possibility is that even if there is not a general obligation to work, we might be subject to limitations on our work-related liberties in order to satisfy demands of distributive justice. Many of the goods provided by a just society, including education and health care, are labor-intensive. But societies often face shortfalls of workers in the very occupations that provide these goods. Some philosophers have argued that the demands of distributive justice may permissibly constrain our work choices, and in fact, may license governments conscripting labor in order to secure workers to provide these goods, on the model of the military draft during wartime. (Fabré 2008, Stanczyk 2012). Similar concerns arise concerning socially necessary but undesirable ‘dirty’ work.(Walzer 1983, Schmode 2019). Conversely, if justice can require individuals to perform certain kinds of work, this might speak against a right to strike (Borman, 2017, Gourevitch 2018), particularly on the part of essential workers (Munoz 2014).

How one’s choice of work contributes to justice and the overall good is a moral question that individuals face as well. Some jobs (hired assassin, for example) seem immoral as such. But to what extent, if any, are we obligated to choose careers or jobs that promote justice or the welfare of others? On the one hand, choice of jobs and careers does not appear exempt from moral considerations, inasmuch as the work one performs affects others and society at large, and given the often dismal state of the world, perhaps we are obligated to choose jobs and careers for moral reasons rather than solely on the basis of self-interest. Norman Care (1984:285) proposes “that in today’s world morality requires that service to others be put before self-realization in the matter of career choice.” In contrast, some philosophers who believe that individuals (and not merely institutions) within a society are subject to demands of justice nevertheless accord individuals discretion in their choices of occupation. G.A. Cohen, for instance, asserts that we should each enjoy a “personal prerogative” that allows us to be something more than an “engine for the welfare of other people” or “slaves to social justice.” (2008:10) We might likewise worry that requiring that our job or career choices be optimal from the standpoint of justice or social welfare is excessively demanding in light of how such choices both reflect and shape our identities (Cholbi 2020).

In recent years, egalitarian philosophers have begun to critique typical workplace arrangements as antagonistic to requirements of equal relations among individuals in society. Particularly influential here is Anderson’s suggestion that many workplaces amount to a form of “private government,” at least as authoritarian as many forms of state government.

Imagine a government that assigns almost everyone a superior whom they must obey. Although superiors give most inferiors a routine to follow, there is no rule of law. Orders may be arbitrary and can change at any time, without prior notice or opportunity to appeal. Superiors are unaccountable to those they order around. They are neither elected nor removable by their inferiors. …The government does not recognize a personal or private sphere or autonomy free from sanction. It may prescribe a dress code and forbid certain hairstyles. Everyone lives under surveillance, to ensure that they are complying with orders. …The economic system of the society run by this government is communist. The government owns all the nonlabor means of production in the society it governs. It organizes production by means of central planning. The form of the government is a dictatorship (Anderson 2017: 37–38).

The ‘society’ Anderson invites us to imagine is of course the contemporary workplace, at least as it stands in the United States and many other nations. Anderson and other relational egalitarians view the relationships defined by the powers that employers usually have over their employees as oppressive and unjust. Workers are subject to employers’ ‘governance,’ but this governance consists in employees being arbitrarily and unaccountably subject to the wills of employers. The relational egalitarian thus concludes that workplaces, as presently constituted, do not involve employees and employers relating as genuine equals. And while employees will generally have the right to exit employment relationships, this may be little protection against oppression if most workplaces are organized in the way Anderson illustrates.

To some degree, the inequalities to which Anderson points are products of labor law and policies specific to different nations. There are, however, ways of altering the relationships between employers and workers so as to potentially prevent or address these (and other) inequalities.

Perhaps the most familiar such method is unionization or collective bargaining. Worker unions amplify the power of individual workers in relation to their employers by compelling employers to negotiate contracts with workers as a body. Unions may organize workers within a particular profession, within many professions, or within a single workplace or firm. Societies vary considerably in the degrees to which their workers are unionized and their labor laws friendly to union formation and power. Unions are presumptively justified on the grounds that workers who consensually form or join unions are exercising their right to freely associate with others with whom they share interests in order to promote those interests (Lindblom 2019), though if union membership is required in order to be employed in a particular workplace or industry, unionization may violate individuals right not to associate with others or to associate with (in this instance, to enter into an employment relationship) any party of their choosing (White 1998).Appealing to “republican liberty,” Mark Reiff (2020) has argued that unions should be viewed as a basic institution of society that protects workers’ liberty from exploitation by employers. On Reiff’s view, unionization should therefore be universal and compulsory .

Other methods for redressing the seemingly unequal and oppressive relations between employers and employees involve breaking the monopoly on decision making that management typically has within a given firm or employment arrangement. Typical workplaces are hierarchical rather than democratic. Many egalitarian critics of work call for the workplace to be more democratized, with workers having a greater say not only concerning their own working conditions but also concerning decisions usually reserved for management. Advocates for workplace democracy often argue that it is likely to be the most effective workplace organization in protecting workers’ interests. (González-Ricoy 2014). Others emphasize that the workplace is a microcosm of larger society and hence serves as a training ground for the development of virtues needed to live in a larger democratic society (Pateman 1970, Estlund 2003). But perhaps the most basic argument for workplace democracy is that firms are analogous to states, and so if the state ought to be governed democratically, so too should firms and other workplaces (Dahl 1986, Mayer 2000, Landemore & Ferreras 2016). Workplace democracy would seem to render the workplace more just inasmuch as it makes workers’ conditions a partial byproduct of their consent and a reflection of their autonomy (Schaff 2012).

Work’s role in justice is further complicated by the fact that work is a highly gendered phenomenon in many societies. For one, women typically perform much of the housekeeping and child care that traditionally have not been recognized with monetary compensation. Within the formal labor market, many societies have a wage gap wherein women are paid less than men for similar work, and there are significant differences in gender representations in different professions (traditionally, women highly represented in fields such as primary school teaching, nursing, and social work, men highly represented in fields such as engineering and finance). Feminist philosophers have detected in these differentials an undervaluation of the kinds of work, particularly care work, that women have often performed (Gurtler and Smith 2005) as well as a blind spot in philosophical theorizing about justice wherein ‘relational’ goods that matter to our life prospects but are usually not provided via market exchange are ignored (Gheaus 2009). One intricate set of issues here is understanding the underlying relations of cause and effect: Are women in societies with sexist norms pushed toward low pay or low prestige jobs because they are women, or are these low pay or low prestige jobs because women tend to perform them (or both)? In a similar vein, we may wonder how norms of gender intersect with the gendered division of labor (whether, for example, the stereotype that women are more eager to care for children feeds the gendered division of labor or whether the gendered division of labor reinforces that stereotype, or both).

The gendered division of labor is open to objections of different kinds: On the one hand, it appears to result in distributions of work-related goods (such as income, free time, etc.) in which women are systematically shortchanged. In addition, the gendered division of labor may be unjust because it contributes to hierarchies between the genders that render them unequal. (Hartley and Watson 2018) Schouten (2019) argues that, although many individuals embrace traditional gender norms and the gendered division of labor these entail, those who instead favour gender-egalitarian ways of life have a reasonable ground to complain when societies create institutions and policies that support expectations — the gendered division of labor chief among these — that serve as impediments to such ways of life. According to Schouten then, a just society will regulate work time, family leave, and dependent care so as to foster gender-egalitarian ways of life and a non-gendered division of labor. (See also Wright and Brighouse 2008, Gheaus 2012.)

A further strand in feminist thought about work arises from Hochschild’s scholarship (2012) on emotional labor . Some work involves intensive monitoring or management of one’s own emotions in order to engage or manipulate the emotions of others. Although Hochschild offers examples of such emotional labor undertaken both by women and men, some professions in which women predominate are saturated with emotional labor. Hochschild notes that female flight attendants, for instance, are subject to a wide array of emotional expectations vis-à-vis air travellers (smiling, friendly banter, interest in travellers’ destinations or professions, etc.). Scholars have highlighted a number of ethically salient features of emotional labor (see Barry, Olekalns, and Rees 2019 for a useful overview), but the phenomenon has been subject to little systematic philosophical analysis. Hochschild primarily emphasizes the detrimental effects of emotional labor on workers themselves, arguing that it can estrange workers from their own emotions and lead to struggles to identify or express authentic emotion both within and outside the workplace. Furthermore, when emotional labor results in employees’ “surface acting,” that is, displaying emotions at odds with their own internal feelings, employees’ health suffers. Other ethical concerns are more interpersonal — for example, that emotional labor is deceptive or lacks integrity. Barry, Olekalns, and Rees (2019) offer a useful starting point by noting that emotional labor raises the prospect of conflicts between workers’ rights and the rights of their employers, between workers’ rights and workers’ duties, and between employer rights and employer duties.

A number of social commentators have predicted that economic and technological trends will soon culminate in societies become increasingly ‘post-work,’ that is, far fewer individuals will engage in paid work, work hours will dramatically decrease, and work will have a far smaller role among individuals’ values or concerns.(Frey and Osborne 2013, Thompson 2015, Brynjolofsson and McAfee 2014). Whether this prospect should be welcomed or avoided depends to a large extent on issues addressed earlier in this article: how good work in fact is, whether there are other avenues for attaining the goods associated with work, etc.

Some welcome a post-work future as liberating (Livingston 2016, Chamberlain 2018, James 2018, Danaher 2019), arguing that diminutions in the centrality of work will afford us greater leisure, freedom, or community, especially if activities such as play or the appreciation of the natural worlds supplant work. Others worry that the decline of work will deprive us of a central arena in which to realize goods central to our natures (Deranty 2015) or will instigate high levels of inequality or economic distress (Frase 2016). Others express concern about individuals’ ability to psychologically transition from a work-centred to a work-optional society (Cholbi 2018b).

Work and labor bear intrinsic philosophical interest. But their centrality to the human condition also entail that work and labor intersect with still broader philosophical questions about the human good and the just organization of human societies. Ongoing and anticipated changes to the world of work should provide rich fodder for philosophical inquiry in coming decades. Philosophy is likely to have a special role to play in addressing what Appiah (2021:7) has called the “hard problem,” to determine “how to produce the goods and services we need, while providing people with income, sociability, and significance.”

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Library of Congress Catalog Data: ISSN 1095-5054

Essay On Dignity Of Labour

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Reading time: 5 mins read

Dignity of labour means respect and value given to all forms of work. It refers to equal respect towards the jobs that involve manual labour. In earlier times, daily several slaves were bought and sold openly in the markets. They lost their dignity and performed all sorts of hard and laborious works. Today, we are living in an independent and democratic age. It has been realized by most of the people that all forms of labour contribute to the welfare and development of society. The labourers through trade unions and different groups have gained success in attaining a recognized position in society.

When we talk about basic rights, the working class do not enjoy that respect which is enjoyed by business executives, white-collared people and merchants. Many learned people do not appreciate and practice the principle of dignity of labour. They prefer high profile jobs. For example, a science graduate, who is the son of a wealthy farmer, would like to take up any job in a nearby city rather than to follow his father’s occupation. Thus, it is not wise to look down upon manual labour.

Manual labour is extremely important and necessary for the smooth functioning in society. Although today most of the work in industries and factories is done by machines, production can be paused without manual assistance of the workers. Lakhsoflabourersworkinmines, agriculturalsectors, construction fields and industries. Although they work with the help of machines, it is their duty to operate and maintain the machines. Invention and introduction of machinery has given rise to a new class of industrial workers. If the workers slow or stop the manufacturing of the essential goods even for a few days than the entire nation can suffer a severe setback. Thus, it is our main duty to show them respect and offer dignity.

In many western countries, dignity of labour is recognized. Young people do not mind in earning money by doing part-time work as food delivery boy or waiters at restaurant. Much of the domestic work like cooking food and washing clothes is done by the members of the family. However, in countries like India, domestic servants are scarce and their demands for wages are very high. Many middle class families pay more to servants to maintain their prestige in society.

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2 Dignity and Meaningful Work

Norman E. Bowie is Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He is past president of the Society for Business Ethics and former Executive Director of the American Philosophical Association. In 2009 the Society for Business Ethics honored him with an award for scholarly achievement. His primary research interest is business ethics, where he is best known for his application of Kant’s moral philosophy to ethical issues in business.

Published: 11 February 2019
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The central importance of dignity for meaningful work justifies an obligation to provide meaningful work. This is because people have intrinsic worth as “dignity beyond price” and also because, through meaningful work, people experience themselves as dignified persons. In the Kantian formulation, people have dignity because they have the capacity for autonomy and self-government, and therefore can be held to be responsible. This chapter takes dignity to be based on such universal characteristics, and argues that since meaningful work is a route to dignity then we must pay attention to the ways in which we can ameliorate struggles to experience our dignity in work. The normative characteristics of work designed to promote rational capacities include freedom to choose and to exercise autonomy, and conditions for independence such as sufficient pay. Management practices are highlighted which meet such normative conditions. Examples include open book management, recruitment, training, and participatory practices.

For many, work is something unpleasant one must do in order to obtain the necessities of life as well as the goods and services one needs for a life of quality. This view of work as a necessary drudgery has a long history. The Bible reports that when Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, one of the burdens Adam would have to bear is hard work—“by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.” At the beginning of the industrial age, when manufacturing could take advantage of the division of labor, none other than Adam Smith, who had extolled the efficiency of the pin factory, had this to say about work in such factories.

The man whose life is spent in performing a few simple operations, of which the effects are, perhaps, always the same, has no occasion to exert his understanding, or to exercise his invention in finding out expedients for removing difficulties which never occur. He naturally loses, therefore, the habit of such exertion, and generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human creature to become. The torpor of his mind renders him, not only incapable of relishing or bearing a part in any rational conversation but of conceiving any generous, noble, or tender sentiment, and consequently of forming any just judgment concerning many even of the ordinary duties of private life. Of the great and extensive interests of his country he is altogether incapable of judging … His dexterity at his own particular trade seems, in this manner, to be acquired at the expense of his intellectual, social and martial virtues. But in every improved and civilized society, this is the state into which the laboring poor, that is the great body of people, must necessarily fall, unless government takes some pains to prevent it. 1

Clearly the workers Smith described have neither meaningful work nor dignity.

Even in the twenty-first century, many throughout the world labor at jobs which provide neither dignity nor meaning. Even in advanced societies, an unfavorable attitude to work is captured in such phrases as TGIF (Thank God it’s Friday), Blue Monday, and Hump Day (Wednesday is half way to Friday). Thus, despite the vast of amount of time that most human beings spend at work, work is seen by many as without meaning.

Work and Dignity

But does it have to be this way? There are many occupations, often identified as callings, where work is meaningful because it gives a sense of purpose to one’s life. The professions, first responders, healthcare providers more generally, teachers, and even athletes find their work to be meaningful and to provide them with dignity. The key to a change in perspectives about work is dignity. Dignity holds a central position in any consideration of meaningful work. On the one hand, dignity provides a normative justification for an obligation on managers and others to provide meaningful work. Because persons have, as Kant said, a “dignity beyond price,” (Kant, 1990 [1785]: 51) and because work holds such an essential place in the lives of most people, workers are entitled to the most meaningful work that can be practically provided. On the other hand, meaningful work allows people to achieve dignity, and thus meaningful work is a key component in individual self-actualization. Thus dignity provides the ground for an obligation to provide meaningful work and dignity is what workers achieve when they have the opportunity to engage in meaningful work. Understanding what human dignity is and how it can be achieved helps provide criteria as to what constitutes meaningful work. These essential points about the relation between dignity and meaningful work are well recognized by a number of leading classical and contemporary thinkers.

Despite the Biblical injunction that you must earn your bread by the sweat of your brow, Catholic social teaching has insisted that work can be a means to human dignity so long as the workplace is organized so as to be supportive of meaningful work. In 1891 Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor). That document is primarily addressed to the rights and duties regarding the ownership of property. However, with respect to the relation between the employer and the employee the document says:

The following duties bind the wealthy owner and the employer: not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen, but to respect in every man his dignity as a person ennobled by Christian character. They are reminded that according to natural reason and Christian philosophy, working for gain is creditable not shameful to a man, since it enables him to earn an honorable livelihood; but to misuse men as though they were things in the pursuit of gain, or to value them solely for their physical powers—that is truly shameful and inhumane. (Pope Leo XIII, 2002 [1981]: paragraph 20)

The papal encyclical that is most explicit concerning the dignity of work is Pope John Paul II’s 1981 papal encyclical Laborem Exercens :

it [work] is a good thing for man. It is good not only in the sense it is useful or something to enjoy; it is also good as being something worthy, that is to say, something that corresponds to man’s dignity, that expresses this dignity and increases it … Work is a good thing for man—a good thing for his humanity—because through work man not only transforms nature adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being, and indeed, in a sense, becomes “more a human being.” (Pope John Paul II, 1981 : #9)

Classical philosophers throughout the eighteenth century did not write much that was explicitly about meaningful work, although they wrote a great deal about human dignity. One could choose from a number of authors, but given Kant’s emphasis on dignity, perhaps an exploration of Kant’s position on dignity and work deserves special emphasis.

Kant’s Account of Dignity

Kant is famous for saying that a person possesses a dignity that is beyond all price. Specifically, Kant says:

In the realm of ends everything has either a price or dignity. Whatever has a price can be replaced by something else as its equivalent; on the other hand, whatever is above all price and therefore admits of no equivalent, has dignity. (Kant, 1990 [1785]: 51)

But, first, why do persons possess a dignity that is beyond all price? Kant argues that persons have dignity because human beings are capable of autonomy and thus are capable of self-governance. As autonomous beings capable of self-governance, they are also responsible beings, since autonomy and self-governance are conditions for responsibility. A person who is not autonomous and who is not capable of self-governance cannot be responsible. That’s why little children or the mentally ill are not considered responsible beings. Thus there is a conceptual link between being a human being, being an autonomous being, being capable of self-governance, and being a responsible being.

Autonomous responsible beings are capable of making and following their own laws; they are not simply subject to the causal laws of nature. Human beings are different from billiard balls. Anyone who recognizes that she is autonomous should recognize that she is responsible for her actions and thus she should recognize that she is a moral being. From this Kant argues that the fact that one is a moral being enables us to say that such a being possesses dignity. 2

Morality is the condition under which alone a rational being can be an end in himself because only through it is it possible to be a lawgiving member in the realm of ends. Thus morality, and humanity, insofar as it is capable of morality, alone have dignity. (Kant, 1990 [1785]: 52)

This emphasis on dignity and respect undercuts the notion that Kant’s ethics is primarily an austere ethic of duty. As T. E. Hill puts it:

[For Kant] moral conduct is the practical exercise of the noble capacity to be rational and self-governing; a capacity which sets us apart from the lower animals and gives us dignity. Kant’s ethics is as much an ethics of self-esteem as it is an ethics of duty. (Hill, 1992 : 36–7)

But why should a person recognize the dignity of other persons? Now as a point of logic a person who recognizes that he or she is responsible and thus has dignity should ascribe dignity to other people who have the same capacity to be autonomous and responsible beings. As Kant says:

Rational nature exists as an end in itself. Man necessarily thinks of his own existence in this way, and thus far it is a subjective principle of human actions. Also every rational being thinks of his existence on the same rational ground which holds also for myself; thus it is at the same time an objective principle from which, as a supreme practical ground, it must be possible to derive all laws of the will. (Kant, 1990 [1785]: 36)

This quotation provides Kant’s argument for the necessity of including all other persons within the scope of the respect for persons principle (treating the humanity in a person as an end and never as a means only) and for the assertion that all human beings have a dignity that is beyond price. The argument is based on consistency. What we say about ourselves, we must say about similar cases, namely about other human beings.

The Most Recent Perspectives on Dignity

Although the publication of John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice in 1971 legitimized serious philosophical work in normative ethics and political economy, little was written on meaningful work. An exception is Adina Schwartz’s 1982 article, “Meaningful Work,” where she argued that menial jobs such as those described by Adam Smith in the passage quoted earlier were morally unacceptable because they violated the autonomy of the individuals who performed them (Schwartz, 1982 ). Although Schwartz did not explicitly adopt a Kantian framework for her analysis, her focus on the violation of individual autonomy is certainly compatible with Kant’s account as articulated above.

In her American Philosophical Association presidential address, Professor Linda Zagzebski paid special attention to Kant’s account of dignity. She noted two different ways of looking at dignity embedded in Kant’s account (Zagzebski, 2016 ). A person can have dignity because a person has value that is beyond all price. A person has dignity because he or she has infinite value. But a person can also have dignity because each is irreplaceable, since each is unique. Zagzebski then considered whether these two strains are consistent, since the former bases dignity on a common characteristic of human beings while the latter bases dignity on each person’s uniqueness. In this chapter we have limited our account of dignity to some common characteristic such as the ability to reason morally as the basis of dignity.

Michael Rosen’s contemporary analysis of dignity lists three strands of dignity: 1) dignity as status, 2) dignity as intrinsic value, and 3) dignity as dignified manner or bearing. 3 Kant’s account is clearly in the second strand, which is the strand that is most relevant to a discussion of meaningful work. Rosen emphasizes that all three strands have moved toward equality. With respect to the first strand, where dignity was reserved for people of a certain rank or social class, as Rosen points out, as early as Cicero that status was given to all human beings. Thus for our concerns here the first strand collapses into the second. The third strand points to the fact that people who struggle against adversity are described as having dignity. 4 Given the emphasis on providing meaningful work as a means to dignity, our discussion seeks ways to eliminate or at least ameliorate the struggle to obtain dignity in one’s job.

George Kateb’s ( 2011 ) contemporary analysis of dignity, which is very much in the second strand, defends dignity for all individual human beings and for the species of humanity as well. Although Kateb’s arguments for the dignity of the species of humanity are interesting and worthy of discussion, our focus on meaningful work can proceed by limiting dignity to individual human beings. With respect to individual human beings, Kateb is very much in the Kantian tradition that the dignity of human beings applies to all human beings equally.

The notion that it is a person’s ability to act on grounds of morality (the categorical imperative) that gives human beings dignity has been endorsed by contemporary business ethicists as well. Joseph Margolis recognizes that there are many pressures in business that inhibit employees from doing the right thing. As difficult as it is to overcome these pressures, some employees do in fact resist them. Margolis refers to the moment of resistance as the moment of dignity:

Human beings must be capable of responding deliberately to ethical challenges even amid tremendous social and psychological pressures. That is what it means, quite literally, to be responsible. Proposals for preserving moral responsibility thus attempt to rescue the moment of dignity: the possibility that in any given episode, a person can still exercise those faculties that identify a human being as distinctively human—faculties that endow each human being with the capacity to develop and pursue purposes. (Margolis, 2001 )

The task for business ethicists and ethical managers is to find and develop those conditions that support action at the moment of dignity. Margolis’s analysis is very much in the spirit of Kant, who argues that it is free action motivated by morality that gives a person the dignity that is beyond price.

A Kantian Account of Meaningful Work

There is a need at this point to tie Kant’s account of dignity and respect for persons to work. First, Kant argues that work is necessary for the development of selfhood:

Life is the faculty of spontaneous activity, the awareness of all our human powers. Occupation gives us this awareness … Without occupation man cannot live happily. If he earns his bread, he eats it with greater pleasure than if it is doled out to him … Man feels more contented after heavy work than when he has done no work; for by work he has set his powers in motion. (Kant, 1930 [1775]: 160–1)

Thus it appears that work is a duty that one has to oneself. It contributes to independence and to our self-conception. Although Kant does not say so explicitly, one can infer from his remarks that working provides self-respect.

In addition Kant actually endorses wealth and the pleasure it brings. However, to work simply in order to earn money is to display the vice of miserliness, a vice that is even worse than avarice. So long as work is required to make money so that one can provide for one’s needs and pleasures, and in so doing make oneself independent, work has value. Selected comments of Kant’s will establish his view.

A man whose possessions are sufficient for his needs is well-to-do … All wealth is means … for satisfying the owner’s wants, free purposes and inclinations … By dependence on others, man loses in worth, and so a man of independent means is an object of respect … But the miser finds a direct pleasure in money itself, although money is nothing but a pure means … The spendthrift is a lovable simpleton, the miser is a detestable fool. The former has not destroyed his better self and might face the misfortune that awaits him with courage, but the latter is a man of poor character. (Kant, 1930 [1775]: 177, 181, 185)

These selected quotations are from Kant’s brief remarks, which amount to less than ten pages and represent student notes from his lectures on ethics in the 1770s, before he had written his more critical works on ethical theory. Nonetheless, they provide a starting point for a Kantian theory of meaningful work and for the obligations of employers with respect to providing it.

In his recent book, The Thought of Work , John Budd provides a number of traditional views on the nature of work (Budd, 2011 ). Many, such as work as freedom, as personal fulfillment, and as identity all provide insights into why work is essential to human dignity. Budd’s account of work as occupational citizenship is especially compatible with the Kantian account of meaningful work given here. Budd contends that under the occupational citizenship view:

From this perspective, workers are citizens who are entitled to decent working and living conditions that are determined by standards of human dignity, not supply and demand, and to meaningful forms of self-determination in the workplace that go beyond the freedom to quit. In other words, workers are entitled to equity—fairness in the distribution of economic rewards, the administration of employment policies, and the provision of economic security—and voice, which means meaningful participation in workplace decision-making. (Budd, 2011 : 59)

Budd’s occupational citizenship view is incompatible with a straightforward market efficiency view that sees workers simply as factors of production that can be hired or fired as their price in the marketplace falls or rises. In Kantian language, workers cannot simply be used as a means to profit for the stockholders. Human beings possess a dignity that makes it immoral to use them simply as a means for the purposes of others.

Given Kant’s remarks on work and his ethical philosophy grounded in human dignity, I propose the following conditions of a Kantian theory of meaningful work: 5

Meaningful work is work that is freely chosen and provides opportunities for the worker to exercise autonomy on the job.

The work relationship must support the autonomy and rationality of human beings. Work that unnecessarily deadens autonomy or that undermines rationality is immoral.

Meaningful work is work that provides a salary sufficient for the worker to exercise her independence and provides for her physical well-being and the satisfaction of some of her desires.

Meaningful work is work that enables a person to develop her rational capacities.

Meaningful work is work that does not interfere with a person’s moral development.

Meaningful work is work that is not paternalistic in the sense of interfering with the worker’s conception of how she wishes to obtain happiness.

I emphasize that these conditions are not descriptive of how employees or employers would define meaningful work. Rather, these characteristics are normative conditions for meaningful work that I believe can be derived from Kant’s moral philosophy and from his explicit comments on work.

Management Practices that Support Meaningful Work

If this definition of meaningful work is accepted, then we must ask what management practices would contribute to providing meaningful work to all employees. 6 What is sought here is a description of a business organization that provides dignity through meaningful work. In their 2015 article, Thomas Donaldson and James Walsh have made dignity one of the intrinsic values central to the purpose of business. They argue that for a business to honor dignity as an intrinsic value it ought to treat each participant with respect in accordance with what they call a dignity threshold, which they define as “the minimum level of respect accorded to each Business Participant necessary to allow the agglomeration of Benefit to qualify as Business Success” (Donaldson and Walsh, 2015 ). In what follows I describe a number of business practices that would enable a business to meet and perhaps surpass this dignity threshold.

One practice is open book management—a practice that goes far in giving employees autonomy on the job. This technique, developed by Jack Stack at the Springfield Remanufacturing Company, is not new. Stack’s book The Great Game of Business was published in 1994, however the book was not a fad. It was updated, expanded, and published again in 2013. The underlying philosophy of open book management is that persons should be treated as responsible autonomous beings. A precondition of such treatment is that employees have the information needed to make responsible decisions. The author of an early book on open book management, John Case, called this “empowerment with brains” (Case, 1995 : 85–96).

Under open book management employees are given all the financial information about the company. They are also under a profit-sharing plan where what they make is in large part determined by the profit of the company. With complete information and the proper incentives, employees behave responsibly without the necessity for layers of supervision.

How does open book management do what it does? The simplest answer is this. People get a chance to act, to take responsibility, rather than just doing their job … No supervisor or department head can anticipate or handle all … situations. A company that hired enough managers to do so would go broke from the overhead. Open book management gets people on the job doing things right. And it teaches them to make smart decisions … because they can see the impact of their decisions on the relevant numbers. (Case, 1995 : 45, 46)

The adoption of practices like open book management would go far toward correcting the asymmetrical information that managers possess and that gives rise to the charge that the employment contract is often deceptive. Any time the firm faces a situation that might involve the layoff of employees, employees as well as managers would have access to all the relevant information. Deception in such circumstances would be much more difficult. Open book management also greatly increases employee autonomy, including autonomy with respect to company ethics programs. Put this all together and what open book management does is to enhance workers’ dignity.

Early adherents to open book management at the end of the twentieth century included Herman Miller, Allstate Insurance, and Intel. Toward the end of the first decade of the twenty-first, John Case informed The Economist that 100 US firms practiced some form of open book management ( Economist , 2009 ).

Does a commitment of providing meaningful work for employees require companies to adopt open book management? “No.” There may be other management techniques that contribute to the dignity of employees. For example Jeffrey Pfeffer in his 1994 book, Competitive Advantage Through People , identified sixteen human resource practices for managing people successfully. In listing the sixteen practices, it is easy to see how they would make work more meaningful. They include 1) employment security, 2) selectivity in recruiting, 3) high wages, 4) incentive pay, 5) employee ownership, 6) information sharing, 7) participation and empowerment, 8) team and job redesign, 9) training and skill development, 10) cross-utilization and cross-training, 11) symbolic egalitarianism, 12) wage compression, 13) promotion from within, 14), a long-term perspective, 15) the measurement of practices, and 16) an overarching philosophy (Pfeffer, 1994 : 100–4). Let us see more specifically how these conditions make work more meaningful and enhance dignity.

So long as business firms provide jobs that provide sufficient wealth, they contribute to the independence and thus to the dignity and self-respect of their employees. The true contribution of capitalism would be that it provides jobs that help provide self-respect. Meaningful work is work that provides an adequate wage. High wages are obvious as a means to this goal. Job security is important for providing job stability, which means that employees with an adequate wage will likely continue to have an adequate wage. Job security is essential because it is necessary for achieving the characteristics of meaningful work as outlined in our definition. Wage compression refers to a policy that reduces large differences in pay between the top officials in the corporation and other employees, as well as differences between individuals at roughly the same functional level. If wage compression were adopted horizontally, the Vice President for Finance would not earn a premium over the Vice President for Personnel as is now the case in most United States companies. The ratio between the pay of top executives and the least well paid in the firm has steadily risen. Wage compression is a way of reversing that trend. Profit sharing is a practical way of helping to achieve that. Another important component of meaningful work is autonomy and independence. Advocates of participation and empowerment in the workplace speak directly to the issue of how autonomy and independence are to be achieved. Participation is a requirement in decisions regarding layoffs if the employment contract is not to be viewed as coercive. That is why a technique like open book management is so effective in supporting meaningful work.

Another requirement of meaningful work is that the work should contribute to the development of employees’ rational capacities. Selectivity in recruiting, information sharing, training, and participation either directly or indirectly in the running of the business all contribute to the development of employees’ rational capacities. By selecting the right people in the first place, you do not get people who are overqualified for the job. Working on a job for which you are overqualified is usually boring and frustrating because it does not make the best use of your rational capacities. One technique for promoting information sharing is open book management. Providing all employees with the numbers makes them more informed and better decision-makers. Information sharing is facilitated through teams. Teamwork enables us to learn skills and perspectives from other team members. All contribute to tackling a business problem, and as a result of team effort the knowledge base of team members is increased.

Cross-training is a technique that allows employees to do many different jobs. Routine assembly line work is often work that is dull, boring, and repetitious. By training a worker to do many different jobs a firm can eliminate or greatly mitigate the drudgery of assembly line manufacturing. Cross-utilization makes teamwork possible and vice versa. Japan has successfully practiced cross-utilization in its auto plants for decades and this practice has increasingly been adopted by automobile manufacturers in the United States.

One of Kant’s imperfect duties is the duty that each of us has to develop our talents. All the management practices discussed in the previous paragraph contribute to skill development which is both valuable in itself and helps meet the obligation to develop our talents.

Symbolic egalitarianism is also necessary for self-respect and is a condition of fairness. It breaks down some of the class barriers that say not only is the work that I do different from yours, but it is more valuable than yours, and thus I am a more valuable person. The person who is doing what is perceived to be inferior work thus loses self-respect and loses it unjustly. A business firm is a cooperative enterprise and thus every task is valuable to the enterprise. Market conditions, and other legitimate factors, may justify the fact that we pay one job category more than another, but these conditions do not justify inequality of respect. Open book management and the use of teams help implement symbolic egalitarianism. Jobs are renamed to provide more respect. Garbage collectors become sanitation workers. Some may think changing the names of jobs is frivolous and so it is if the name changes are not accompanied by many, or at least some, of the human resource practices that contribute to meaningful work. But sensitivity to what a job is called is one aspect of treating employees as an end, and thus one aspect of treating them with respect.

Other Perspectives on Dignity and Meaningful Work

This chapter has treated dignity as a quality that human beings possess as a result of being human—usually as a result of having a certain trait such as being created in God’s image or possessing reason and free will. Special emphasis has been placed on Kant’s view that the capacity for moral reasoning is the trait that provides human dignity.

But there are other views. Some scholars also refer to a dignity that is earned through some action or actions of an individual. In the context of work, dignity would be earned through hard work; dignity is not simply something that human beings possess without any action on their parts. Some have referred to this as contingent dignity (Pirson, Goodpaster, and Dierksmeier, 2016 : 466). No doubt one can achieve a kind of dignity in this way. A losing sports team can regain dignity if it defeats a superior team and it is common for an outmatched team to play hard just for the sake of dignity. I would even argue that one should work hard to obtain contingent dignity. Contingent dignity is well accepted in society and is relatively uncontroversial. I have chosen to emphasize the dignity that all human beings have just because they are human because I believe this way of understanding dignity provides dignity even to those who cannot achieve contingent dignity, and that concept of dignity places responsibilities on employers that they would not have if our notion of “dignity” was limited to contingent dignity.

Not everyone would accept the definition of meaningful work proposed here. Let us consider some other possibilities. First, there is a division between those who propose an objective definition of meaningful work and those who provide a subjective definition. The issue between these two camps can be explained as follows. The objectivists argue that work can be meaningful whether or not the worker finds it so. Thus a worker who finds meaning in jobs that violate the criteria for meaningful work is mistaken and he or she is wrong in his or her point of view. Similarly a worker who has a job that meets the criteria for meaningful work but nonetheless does not find the job personally meaningful is mistaken. The subjectivists accuse the objectivists of imposing an account of meaningful work on workers and thus disrespecting the viewpoint of the person who is actually experiencing the work environment on the job. The objectivists counter by saying that the conditions that create respect and dignity are empirically determinable and morally grounded. If a person finds meaning in a job that is degrading, the person’s consciousness needs to be raised. The happy slave is not engaging in meaningful work that supports dignity and self-respect. 7

There is also a division among the objectivists; some propose a relatively “thin” theory of meaningful work. The definition used in this chapter is an example of a “thin” theory of meaningful work. Others, such as Joseph DesJardins and Joanne Ciulla support a “thicker” theory of meaningful work. Those supporting the thick theory argue that work is really meaningful only if it is socially useful or “worthy.” Two quotations will illustrate the position of the “thick” theorists. 8

DesJardins says the following:

I would suggest the following three standards for judging goods and services to distinguish meaningful work from less meaningful work. Meaningful work produces: (a) goods and services that satisfy human needs (rather than preferences); (b) contributes to the common good; and (c) is of high quality. (DesJardins, 2012 : 145)

Joanne Ciulla describes worthy work as follows:

Worthy work is work that is morally and/or aesthetically valuable. It is objective … Worthy work has a purpose that most people can see is good in some way … The most worthy jobs are those that have worthy purposes. They are jobs in which people help others, alleviate suffering, eliminate difficult, dangerous, or tedious toil, make someone healthier and happier, aesthetically or intellectually enrich people, or improve the environment in which we all live. (Ciulla, 2012 : 126, 127)

A supporter of the thin theory might find much to be sympathetic with in the DesJardins and Ciulla accounts. For example, many business ethicists have always thought that some occupations were noble, in the sense that the work contributed to a broader social good even if it did not result in high pay. Those who have positions in occupations with the characteristics Ciulla identifies are in fact doing worthy work. Indeed critics of the capitalist wage system would like to see some of those occupations have more respect, which would provide those in these occupations the dignity they deserve. Public school teachers in grades K through 12 are sometimes referred to as mere babysitters—a characterization that demeans both teachers and babysitters. We have all heard the phrase, “If you can’t do, teach.” Yet teachers are surely doing what Ciulla would characterize as worthy work. Moreover, reformers want more people engaged in worthy work and perhaps technological changes might increase the number of occupations that provide worthy work.

However, supporters of a “thin” account would be reluctant to substitute Ciulla’s notion of “worthy work” for a thin concept of “meaningful work” like the one provided here. The “thin” theorists believe the class of meaningful work is larger than the class of worthy work. 9 In the article quoted above, DesJardins speaks disparagingly of those who produce junk food rather than nutritious food and those surgeons who operate to enlarge breasts rather than repair a heart valve. I think DesJardins’s negative comments here show the dangers of a more thick theory of the good. When carried to an extreme, it can sound elitist and paternalistic. In the world of business, there is a place for McDonalds isn’t there?

But my real disagreement with DesJardins is that his notion is too restrictive. Not all work can meet the thick theory criteria for meaningful work. Surely some jobs need to be directed at satisfying human preferences. Some people make snowmobiles and others make chocolate candy. One could argue that neither of these occupations satisfies human needs as opposed to preferences. Yet these occupations, along with similar ones, can be made more meaningful by having management adopt practices like those outlined earlier. Worthy work is a worthy ideal. Meaningful work is a practical goal—at least that is what the objectivists would argue. To some extent an objectivist could adopt the best of both positions. Nearly all jobs can be made more meaningful but there will always be a wide range of jobs that are not worthy jobs as Ciulla defines “worthy jobs.” What I find attractive about the list of business practices that recognize the importance of people for competitive success is that they are nearly universal in the sense that nearly all jobs can be managed accordingly and when managed in that way nearly all jobs would become more meaningful, and thus the dignity of all workers would be enhanced.

Recently there has been an explosion of interest in the impact of robots and artificial intelligence on jobs. What happens to meaningful work and dignity in a world where a large number of people do not have to work at all? Two articles from a Wharton Business School publication point out the stark reality. A piece from November 30 points out that manufacturing output in 2015 was at an all-time high but over the last three and a half decades manufacturers have shed more than 7 million jobs (Wharton Business School, 2016a ). Much more stuff was produced with 7 million fewer workers. Of these lost jobs, 80 percent were the result of technology rather than the result of moving facilities overseas. What is true regarding the United States is also true with respect to most developed countries (Wharton Business School, 2016a ). Robots endowed with artificial intelligence would be assigned to do much of the work that human beings do now. Recently a New York Times piece described a military that used drones with artificial intelligence to track down enemy combatants. No human soldiers would be involved. Technology is far along on driverless cars and trucks. What is the implication of this for commercial truck drivers and insurers who sell auto insurance? (Presumably the self-driving cars are safer than human drivers.) Not even fast-food workers are safe. A San Francisco robotics company has built a robot that can make a hamburger from scratch without any human intervention (Clifford, 2016 ). What are the implications of all of this? More details are presented in the December 6, 2016 interview with venture capitalist Art Bilger (Wharton Business School, 2016b ). Bilger argues that we could lose 47 percent of all jobs within twenty-five years. He asks what our society would be like with a 25 percent, 30 percent, or even 35 percent unemployment rate (Wharton Business School, 2016b ).

Some, like Nietzsche, simply find no dignity in work, perhaps because Nietzsche saw workers as necessary slaves for those who use leisure to provide culture. 10 As Nietzsche said: “The misery of toiling men must still increase in order to make the production of the world of art possible to a small number of Olympian men.” 11 If Nietzsche’s view were correct, then substituting robots for people and providing a decent standard of living for all would be a plus. However, the contention here is that meaningful work can—and even now in some jobs does—provide people with dignity. If jobs disappear, replacing income is not sufficient because it is not income that provides meaning. One of Budd’s frameworks for conceptualizing work was work as identity. Tracing the idea back to Hegel, Marx, and Heidegger—among others—Budd points out that to a great extent our conception of ourselves—our identity—is in large part determined by the job we have. “Thinking about work as identity allows us to consider what makes humans distinctly human” (Budd, 2011 : 153). The title of a work by John Danahar ( 2017 ) gets the issue exactly right: “Will Life Be Worth Living in a World Without Work?” Another way to make the point is to recognize that work is a source of psychological and social meaning (Budd, 2011 : 145). Beyond giving workers a sense of identity, meaningful work is the satisfaction one gets in work whether through the creation of a socially useful product, teamwork, or just the feeling of independence that a meaningful job provides. In that way meaningful work provides dignity and a purpose to life. As Bilger pointed out, “Having a purpose in life is, I think, an important piece of the stability of a society” (Wharton Business School, 2016b ).

Suddenly people are asking the right question. Even if the government provided everyone with a basic standard of living—a big if—could those without work still find a path to dignity and self-respect? Is work so essential to a meaningful life that people without work could not obtain self-respect—in part because they could not obtain respect from those who do work? Answers to these questions are elusive and create a major challenge to those who would link work, meaningful work, and dignity.

Bowie, N. E. ( 1998 ). “A Kantian theory of meaningful work.” Journal of Business Ethics , 7, 1083–92.

Bowie, N. E. ( 2012 ). “A reply to my critics.” In D. G. Arnold and J. D. Harris (eds.), Kantian Business Ethics: Critical perspectives , pp. 175–90. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

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DesJardins, J. R. ( 2012 ). “Meaningful work.” In D. G. Arnold and J. D. Harris (eds.), Kantian Business Ethics: Critical Perspectives , pp. 132–47. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

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Pirson, M. , Goodpaster, K. , and Dierksmeier, C. ( 2016 ). “Human dignity and business.” Business Ethics Quarterly , 26(4), 465–78.

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Zagzebski, L. ( 2016 ). “The dignity of persons and the value of uniqueness.” Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association , 90, 55–70.

Smith ( 1976 [1776]: part II , 303). For those using other editions, see Book V Chapter 1 , article 2nd “Of the Expense of the Institutions for the Education of Youth.”

This interpretation of Kant’s rationale for attributing dignity to persons is consistent with that of Michael Rosen ( 2012 ) and with George Kateb ( 2011 ).

Rosen ( 2012 ). See section 1 for a full account.

Rosen ( 2012 ). See his discussion of the aesthetic dimension of this strand in his section, “Grace and Dignity,” pp. 31–8.

These conditions were originally advanced in Bowie ( 1998 ).

This section is closely adapted from Bowie ( 2017 ), which in turn is adapted from Bowie ( 1998 ).

Susan Wolf has tried to incorporate elements of both the subjectivist and the objectivist view in her important book Meaning in Life and Why it Matters . She calls her position the Fitting Fulfillment View. On that view “a life is meaningful insofar as its subjective attachments are to things or goals that are objectively worthwhile” (Wolf, 2010 : 34–5). Interestingly, Meaning in Life and Why it Matters has nothing to say about “meaningful work” nor much to say about “dignity.” Neither term appears in the index of that work.

This discussion of DesJardins and Ciulla is taken from Bowie ( 2012 ).

Of course the notion of “worthy jobs” can be stretched to include nearly all jobs. The job of bank teller provides an opportunity for discussion. A bank teller does help people complete business transactions, but is that sufficient to fall under Ciulla’s definition of worthy work? Arguably the job of bank teller does not fall under her definition. If so, the kind of business practices endorsed by Pfeffer could make the job of a bank teller more meaningful even if not more worthy.

For details on this see Rosen ( 2012 : 42–6).

Nietzsche ( 1964 ), quoted in Rosen ( 2012 ).

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Essay, Paragraph or Speech on “Dignity of Labour” Complete Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Dignity of Labour

Essay No. 01

“In the sweat of thy face thou shalt earn thy bread” was the Divine Judgment on the Fallen Man. Ever since man has been labouring hard to keep himself alive. He digs, drives and drags, tills the soil, works at the mill and does a lot of other things to keep his body and soul together. He may find his work hard and unpleasant, but there is no escape from it; it is necessary, universal and inevitable. Life and labour are inseparable.

When life was simple and society less complex, the high and the low alike had to do manual work as a matter of course. But it is no longer so. The indignity attached to manual work is the outcome of the division of labour. The complex nature of the modern society and the introduction of machinery have helped to perpetuate and increase this sense of indignity. It is only when some works are reserved for a few while the rest are given to the common man that the distinction arises. It is only when some men grow rich, powerful and important and find manual work too hard for them, that they set it apart for the common people. These people in due course of time come to be regarded as inferior. Later, the relation of master and servants is established. However, the contempt which master felt for their paid workers gradually came to be transformed from men to their work. When machines came to do those works, which had been formerly done by hand, man who continued to do those works were regarded no better than lifeless machines and were looked down upon. This is how in course of time some works were regarded low and undignified.

It is a sad state of affairs. For the foundation of all good works there must be joy and sense of honour. We can never do a work well if we are constantly reminded that the work we are doing is mean and humiliating. We must be convinced that the work is useful and honourable. We must feel joy in doing it. So men, who are engaged in manual labour, must be made to feel the worth of their work and the joy and honour to be derived from it. Honour is a legitimate spur and is its own reward.

So men occupying higher positions began to preach the dignity of labour in order to get work done by the workers. The simple and the uneducated labourers came to believe in the truth of the assertion. The moment they realized the truth, no more did they feel themselves depressed, unfortunate and inferior; no more their work appeared humiliating. A new consciousness of power was felt and a new throbbing of life was perceived. They began to do not only work but also felt a new sense of dignity, strength and solidarity. Hence, behind the vast organization and power of labouring class in modern times, there is this growing conviction of the value and dignity of labour. The dignity of labour is now recognized at least as a policy.

The distinction between one work as noble and another as ignoble is purely a man-made one. All works rank the same because each has its own use, value and purpose in a social, economic and political organization. If this be so, there is no logic in looking down upon manual labour. The man who drives the plough is as important in his place as he who rules a kingdom. There are different kinds of work, no doubt, one requiring more brain and the other more brawn, but that is no reason why one should be regarded as dishonourable and ignoble and the other honourable. Each has its worth in its own place and therefore each is noble.

On manual labour depends the life of the world. Who can deny dignity to that kind of labour which feeds and clothes mankind, does harm to nobody and is as old as human existence ? And there is no logic in looking down upon those who are engaged in such a work ? Older than all preached gospels is the unpreached, ever-enduring gospel, laborer —Work is Worship.

Essay No. 02

The Dignity of Labour

Outline: The meaning of the phrase – the dignity of labour not appreciated in India – a legacy of the British system of education – conclusion.

All forms of labour are valuable and should be respected. This is the essential meaning of the phrase ‘dignity of labour.’ Jobs involving manual labour should not be looked down upon. One has a right to dislike them and not to take to them if they really do not suit one’s temperament, but that is no reason why they and the people who earn an honest living by doing them should he held in contempt. Nor should one fight shy of doing manual work on account of a false sense of prestige. It should be realised that all forms of labour contribute to the welfare of society.

Many educated men in India do not appreciate and practise the principle of the dignity of labour. They prefer white – collar jobs to other kinds of work involving manual labour, even though the latter are more easily available and more lucrative. For example, an Arts graduate who is the son of a prosperous farmer, would like to be a clerk in a city bank rather than follow his father’s profession. In spite of the fact that there is more demand for turners, fitters, and technicians, our young men continue to qualify themselves for sedentary posts which are limited in number. The tendency to avoid manual labour is also noticeable in the domestic sphere. It is supposed to be infra dig for the lady of the house to do domestic chores like washing clothes or scrubbing pots. The ‘in’ thing is to employ servants to do such work. In large cities where servants are scarce and demand exorbitant wages, many middle class families have to pay through their nose in order to maintain their so – called prestige or dignity.

This antipathy to manual labour is partly a legacy of the British system of education. One of the objects of that system of education was to produce clerks and petty officers without whose aid the administration could not be run. Educated Indians vied with one another to become white – collared employees of the Government, neglecting independent ways of earning a living. This tendency still persists to a considerable extent, and many an educated youth is reluctant to take up a job which involves physical labour or field work. In many Western countries, particularly in America, dignity of labour is recognised. Students do not mind earning money by doing part -time work as lift – men or waiters at restaurants. Much of the domestic work like cooking food and washing clothes is done by the members of the family.

A sense of dignity of labour should be instilled into the young in schools, and colleges. They should be encouraged to participate in slum clearance or rural uplift programmes. If their minds are cleared of the notion that certain kinds of labour are undignified, the problem of unemployment will be solved to some extent.

Essay No. 03

A work should be considered inferior or lowly. All men work to earn their living. If one is a business man, the other is a serviceman. If one is a lawyer, the other is a doctor. A labourer has to work either on the field or on the roadside. They may find their job hard yet it has its own dignity. The indignity attached to manual work is the outcome of division of labour. Those people who grow rich and powerful do easy jobs. They find manual work hard and keep it for the common man. They forget that the work done by the common man is more important. The labourer, the peasant, the sweeper and factory workers are the back bone of the society. It is these people who give us food to eat, house to live in and clothes to put on. The work done by this class of the society should not be sneered at. Otherwise they will not derive happiness from their jobs. Men who are engaged in manual work must be made to feel that their labour is not undignified. It is on their manual labour that the life of the world depends.

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Dignity of Labor Essay | Short Paragraph (400 Words)

December 22, 2017 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

Table of Contents

Political , ethical, moral and legal area uses the defined concept of dignity as to express the right to be valued, respected and to receive positive treatment from the society. In modern era, dignity is defined as an approach of enlightenment towards the concept of inalienable and inherent rights.

The word “dignity”, formed from the Latin word “dignitas (worthiness)” in early 13th century. In daily routine dignity means respect and status which is more related to self-respect.

There is a reason why this powerful word has been used philosophically. Generally, the term contains various functions and meanings as it is dependent on how we are using it and in what context.

It is the part of society who is working under an unorganized sector. In simple terms, organization those who pay sales tax, registered and pay income tax is organized sector.

Unorganized sector also known as own accounted enterprises which are all unlicensed, unregistered and self-employed. This sector includes owner of a general stores, handloom workers, rural trades etc.

Unorganized sector labor has been divided into four categories as:

Force by occupation
Nature of employment
Specially distressed categories
Service categories
Violation of Dignity

Humans violate other human dignity in certain ways which are as follows

Humiliation

Humiliation act are dependent on context but we can get intuitions that where a violation will occur. It is a way to point out the respect of a person and without any mistake the person is pushed down to surrender among the higher authority.

Humiliation injures the self worth or self esteem of a person.

Objectification

This issue is more common among human beings as they use other persons as means or as an instrument to achieve their own goal.

Degradation

It means to degrade the value and ethics of human beings. These acts are done by consent or to convey a message that diminishes the value or importance of all human beings.

They consist of the methods which are not to be practiced such as selling any person to slavery, or when a state of nation authority forcefully puts citizens or non residential persons in living conditions which are inhuman.

Dehumanization

These are acts which tear out a group or a person’s human characteristics. This includes describing or treating them like animals or as not human beings.

This has already occurred in Rwanda and in Holocaust where the majority of labor was compared to small animals and insects.

Dignity of Labor

It means that for all occupation, whether it involves intellect or physical labor, they deserve equal dignity and respect irrespective of their cast, religion, and creed.

No job shall be considered as inferior or superior. If every person does his job with sincerity and honesty then they deserve respect and appreciation

Every person in the world has the right to choose its profession of their own choice. A person can select any occupation and can be discriminated on their work.

Kinds of labor

Intellectual labor
Manual labor

Lot of us thinks that manual labor is an inferior work but manual labor is the highest intellectual labor. The people, who can work with their hands, do have equal importance as those who works using their brain.

Manual labor was the first choice of all great men. Personality like Mahatma Gandhi always preferred to do work by his own. He saw every level of person with same dignity and equality. He never judged a most educated intellect or a manual labor.

All kind of work, are called labor. A teacher teaches at school, office clerk. A medicine officer, a lawyer is the people who work with their brain. A farmer, a mine worker, a factory worker are those people which do work physically. Both type of work has been done under the faith of dignity.

A nation will never prosper mentally and materially if people do not get respect based upon their work. A nation will never flourish if manual labor does not get respect hence it will ultimately lags us in the race of progress. People of Europe started to learn tools and machines as utensil for work after the revolution in industries.

They helped to increase the economy by manufacturing the most usable things. Work is power and if they differed between the work done in mines, factories or in mills with the most advanced science then it will difficult for them also to become a strong nation.

Our education system built our mentality to become teachers, clerks, lawyers, engineers and doctors . After reaching a reputed post in their fields they felt that working with machines and tools in not their kind of work. This mentality never works.

When recession occurs of our countries economic condition will become serious then these educated men will not get services. So this will ultimately result in unemployment.

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Short Essay On Dignity Of Labor | Speech On Dignity Of Labor

The word “labor” meaning is “physical hard work’ work for others and get paid’ physically perform different jobs”. A laborer is one who physically works very hard and get a little payment, a laborer is one who serves the nation but stay unremembered, a laborer is one who physically participates in the development of a country but lives a hard life, a laborer is one who has a part in the construction of every building every monument and every mall. But he always lives a very tough, tensed and poor life. The value of a laborer cannot be defined in little words.

The dignity of labor is more than high because labor means to serve others, and serving others, serving the nation, serving the world is more respectable, honorable, and admirable than any other act. The dignity of labor is because of the laborer.When a laborer does his work honestly and sincerely than the dignity of labor gets higher and higher. History has witnessed the sacrifices of laborers when many laborers were killed only because they were asking about their rights, and the day was saved as “laborer day” and celebrated each year on 1 st May.

Place of labor and laborer is on the highest rank, because if we are studying in a good college with beautiful construction, it is because of the labor of those laborers who participated in the constructions of that building. If the white house and Pisa tower are famous buildings of the world then it is only because of the hard work and skills of laborers. The dignity of labor is obvious from the word “hard work” because hard work is a symbol of success and respect.

But, our society didn’t award the true respect to labor and laborer, our society needs to be educated about the dignity of labor. We should respect laborer and we should accept labor as the most respectable job. We should understand the true meaning of labor if we celebrate 1 st May, because, only big banners and words are of no value.

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Dignity of labour: A key to success

Chidi Okoroafor

Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Key Verse: 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (NIV)

Success is not a product of luck but hard work. If you hate work, you will die poor. Work is the channel through which God blesses us. There is dignity in engaging yourself in any form of work. You lose your dignity, when you are idle and lazy.

Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, encouraged them to mind their own business and work with their hands, so that their daily life may win the respect of outsiders and that they would not be dependent on anybody (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

Work gives you a sense of worth, esteem and respect. Work is honourable and dignifying. You become a burden to others, when you are not engaged in any work. The rule is, ‘when you don’t work, you shall not eat’. Work existed before the fall of man. The Bible says God put man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians on the dignity of labour. He rebuked and disowned those brothers and sisters in the church who lived in idleness, for they were not living according to the laid down rules of the church. He encouraged them to imitate his exemplary life because he worked night and day. He did not in any way like idleness; neither did he depend on their material support for living. He worked for his earnings and paid for what he ate (2 Thessalonians 3:6-10).

To work is a command and not a suggestion (2Thessalonians 3:10). It is a command that if any should not work, he should not eat. Many people today want to make money without work. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Proverbs 10:4). Your destiny is at the mercy of your work.

Take pride in your work, as no particular job is indispensable and all jobs are complementary. You should not look at any job as menial, and you must work to earn a living for others to be encouraged by your example. Stop waiting for cheap success and go to work.

Abraham departed his father’s house to work and he was rich in livestock, silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). Abraham dug wells of water for his farming (Genesis 21:25). Isaac farmed/worked in the land, and received in the same year a hundredfold (Genesis 26:12). Isaac discovered and reopened the wells that his father, Abraham had dug (Genesis 26:18). When you die, will your children discover you were a hardworking or lazy person?

It takes a successful person to produce other successful people. Abraham was a diligent man, who trained his servants for success (Genesis 14:4). As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

Skilled workers are always in demand and admired. People that are good at their work never take back seat (Proverbs 22:29 MSG). Work produces wealth; Proverbs 28:19a, “Whoever works with his hand will have plenty of bread”. People who work rule the lazy people (Proverbs 12:24).

When you don’t work, you cannot have and when you don’t have, you cannot give to others in need (Ephesians 4:28). The Bible speaks the hard truth, when it says that if anyone does not provide for his family members and relatives, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Timothy 5:8).

A folded hand is a folded destiny. Poverty is a process and it is brought about by slack hands. There is dignity in labour because in all labour, there is profit (Proverbs 14:23).

Today’s Nugget: Gathering by labour increaseth riches Prayer: I receive Grace to work and profit. Prayer lines: 09078154261. E-mail: [email protected] Dr. Chidi Okoroafor, General Superintendent Assemblies of God Nigeria

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Miguel Berry scores late in stoppage time to seal Galaxy draw with Real Salt Lake

Galaxy forward Miguel Berry jumps into his teammates' arms to celebrating his game-tying goal

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Miguel Berry admits the start of his first season with the Galaxy hasn’t gone the way he had hoped.

“I’ve played 11 games and having three shots is not ideal,” he said. “As a striker, you’re judged on goals obviously. And when you’re not scoring, it’s fair to judge.”

But he made up for all that Saturday when his first goal of the season, which came on the final touch of the game, gave the Galaxy a 2-2 draw with with Real Salt Lake before a sellout crowd of 25,220 at Dignity Health Sports Park. And it wasn’t just the timing of the goal, deep in stoppage time, or the significant of the goal, which brought the Galaxy all the way back from a two-goal first-half deficit, that made it stand out.

It was how Berry scored, sliding toward the goal, extending all of his 6-foot-3-inch frame to get his right foot on a perfect cross from Riqui Puig, taking the ball out of the grasp of RSL keeper Zac MacMath and deflecting it ever-so-slowly across the goal line.

Not over til it's over! 😤 @MiguelBerry92 scores his first goal for the #LAGalaxy with seconds remaining! pic.twitter.com/idL3eKIvMw — LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) May 12, 2024

“It’s obviously a great feeling as a team to have those moments and when you look back on your career and in your life, those are the moments that you that stick with you,” said Berry, who came off the bench in the 68th minute and got his first goal with the Galaxy 26 minutes later.

The late goal rescued a point for the Galaxy (5-2-5), who are unbeaten at home this season. It also marked the third time in 12 games the Galaxy have rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn at least a point.

“This group has shown that they believe they can score, they believe that they can get back into a game,” coach Greg Vanney said. “Different guys stepped up tonight, but I think the group has believed what they’re capable of. It’s just a matter of us emotionally managing those moments through the course of the game where there’s a little bit of adversity and sticking to the program and trusting ourselves.”

RSL ran out to a 2-0 first-half lead behind two goals from Cristian Arango 20 minutes apart. After being outshot 9-0 in the first 19 minutes, RSL made its first shot of the game count, with Arango beating defender Maya Yoshida to a high cross in the center of the box, then heading it past former LAFC teammate John McCarthy.

Arango beat McCarthy from the center of the box again in the 40th minute, this time with his right foot, one-timing home a nifty pass from Andrés Gómez. That goal was Arango’s 11th of the season, tying him with DC United’s Christian Benteke and Inter Miami’s Luis Suárez for the MLS lead.

Gabriel Pec pulled that back for the Galaxy after an RSL turnover 10 minutes into the second half. After winger Joseph Paintsil wound up with the loose ball, he sent it on to Puig, who dribbled across the top of the box before right-footing a soft feed in front of a hard-charging Pec on the left wing. Pec then deflected a low left-footed shot off MacMath to snap the team’s 269-minute scoreless streak dating to April 21.

Galaxy forward Miguel Berry celebrates his game-tying goal against Real Salt Lake

After the goal, his third of the season, Pec lifted the bottom of his jersey to show a message on his white undershirt that dedicated the goal to the people of Rio Grande do Sul, his home state in southern Brazil, which has been devastated by recent floods.

But until the final seconds, the Galaxy could get no closer despite outshooting RSL 23-12 and taking 12 corners to RSL’s three. Berry said as he made his run toward the goal on the final play he saw MacMath come off his line and heard him call off a defender, intending to play the ball himself. Only Berry got there first.

“Maybe didn’t see me,” Berry said. “I knew if I just make a run, I could get in there. I’m really happy to score and obviously we’ll take the point, given the situation.”

With the draw RSL (6-2-4) extended its MLS-best unbeaten streak to eight games and its lead atop the Western Conference table to two points over the Galaxy and Minnesota United (6-2-2).

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Kevin Baxter writes about soccer and hockey for the Los Angeles Times. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. An essay he wrote in fifth grade was voted best in the class. He has a cool dog.

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In today's world defending the dignity of work is a constant uphill struggle. Prevailing economic thinking sees work as a cost of production, which in a global economy has to be as low as possible in order to be competitive. It sees workers as consumers who because of their relative low wages need to be given easy access to credit to ...
Essay on "Dignity of Labour" for School, College Students, Long and
Essay No. 03. Dignity of Labour. Nature provides us with everything we need, but not in usable forms. With our various activities like agriculture, trade, industry, and learning, we transform the gifts given to us by the Almighty into products useful to us. As a common feature of all these activities, labour in one form or another is an ...
PDF 11. Dignity of Labour
11 主人翁 Dignity of Labour. WANG Ban. I. n socialist China, working people did not view their jobs as merely a means of making a living. A job meant an honourable vocation, and workers were endowed with dignity. In the 1920s, socialist thinkers Li Dazhao and Cai Yuanpei proclaimed that labour was sacred, because the working class would take ...
A philosopher's view: the benefits and dignity of work
For the benefits and dignity of work are as much a matter of what one _does _while working, and of the social relations one enjoys or endures there, as they are of the economic power it brings. In ...
The Dignity of Labor
The Dignity of Labor. Despite the outpouring of praise for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, their own interests continue to come second to the broader public's need for cheap and reliable labor. William P. Jones Summer 2020. Martin Luther King Jr. meets a crowd in Memphis during the sanitation workers' strike in 1968.
Dignity Of Work Essay
essay on dignity of work, dignity of work essay with outline, importance of dignity of labour in points, dignity of labour pdf, dignity of work essay Self-respect and dignity both in thoughts and actions have been the main traits of great personalities history preserves the names and deeds of such men in golden words as led their lives in a ...
Essay on Dignity of Labour
The dignity of labour is an important concept because it reminds us that all work has value. All work is essential to our survival, to our well-being, and to our progress as a society. All work is a source of human fulfilment. We should respect all forms of labour, and all workers, regardless of their occupation or social status.
Philosophical Approaches to Work and Labor
1. Conceptual Distinctions: Work, Labor, Employment, Leisure. It is not difficult to enumerate examples of work. Hence, Samuel Clark: by work I mean the familiar things we do in fields, factories, offices, schools, shops, building sites, call centres, homes, and so on, to make a life and a living. Examples of work in our commercial society include driving a taxi, selling washing machines ...
Essay On Dignity Of Labour With [PDF]
Essay On Dignity Of Labour. Dignity of labour means respect and value given to all forms of work. It refers to equal respect towards the jobs that involve manual labour. In earlier times, daily several slaves were bought and sold openly in the markets. They lost their dignity and performed all sorts of hard and laborious works.
2 Dignity and Meaningful Work
Michael Rosen's contemporary analysis of dignity lists three strands of dignity: 1) dignity as status, 2) dignity as intrinsic value, and 3) dignity as dignified manner or bearing. 3 Kant's account is clearly in the second strand, which is the strand that is most relevant to a discussion of meaningful work.
Essay, Paragraph or Speech on "Dignity of Labour" Complete Essay
Essay No. 02. The Dignity of Labour . Outline: The meaning of the phrase - the dignity of labour not appreciated in India - a legacy of the British system of education - conclusion. All forms of labour are valuable and should be respected. This is the essential meaning of the phrase 'dignity of labour.'
Dignity of Labour Free Essay Example
Categories: Free Essays. Download. Essay, Pages 3 (556 words) Views. 11288. Dignity of Labour: "Shouldn't an honest and descent job be enough? " "Work is work"; no work is superior or lower in itself. It is absolutely wrong to consider any work as high or low. The work itself is a dignity and every work has some dignity attached to it.
Dignity of Labor Essay
In modern era, dignity is defined as an approach of enlightenment towards the concept of inalienable and inherent rights. The word "dignity", formed from the Latin word "dignitas (worthiness)" in early 13th century. In daily routine dignity means respect and status which is more related to self-respect. There is a reason why this ...
Short Essay On Dignity Of Labor
The value of a laborer cannot be defined in little words. The dignity of labor is more than high because labor means to serve others, and serving others, serving the nation, serving the world is more respectable, honorable, and admirable than any other act. The dignity of labor is because of the laborer.When a laborer does his work honestly and ...
(PDF) Dignity of Labour as the Bedrock of a Productive Society
Dignity of labour is one of the contemporary issues that have been debated extensively by the scholars. Though the term labour accords a deep sense of dignity to the working persons, nevertheless ...
The Dignity of Labour (With Outline)
The Dignity of Labour The Dignity of Labour (With Outline) Outline: Introduction Importance of dignity of labour Impact on society Islamic p...
Dignity of labour: A key to success
There is dignity in labour because in all labour, there is profit (Proverbs 14:23). Today's Nugget: Gathering by labour increaseth riches Prayer: I receive Grace to work and profit.
Dignity Of Labour Essay Example (300 Words)
The only things we should be ashamed of are idleness and trying to live by one's wits without labour. Work is worship and to work is to pray. We should take off our hats to honest toil and honour the honest workman. Order custom essay Dignity of Labour with free plagiarism report. 450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery.
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Staff Writer Follow. May 11, 2024 10:07 PM PT. Miguel Berry's goal deep in stoppage time Saturday gave the Galaxy a 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake before a sellout crowd of 25,220 at Dignity Health ...

Essay on The Dignity of Labour with Outlines for Students

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The dignity of Labor Essay |Outlines, Quotes, and good comprehension

2. Labor as a manual work

3. History of manual work

4. Value of working with hands

5. Respect of skilled workers

6. Labor as the satisfaction of the human soul

7. Conclusion

Labor as a manual work:

History of manual work:

Value of working with hands:

Respect of skilled workers:

Labor as the satisfaction of human soul:

Conclusion:

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Essay on the Dignity of Labor with Outline for Students

Kainat Shakeel

Historical Perspectives

The Value of Every Job

Challenges Faced by Laborers

Economic Impact

Particular Stories

Education and mindfulness

Changing comprehensions

Global Perspectives

Government programs

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The part of Unions

Empowering the Next Generation

Dignity Of Labour Essay: Suitable For All Class Students

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Essay on Dignity of Labour

Essay on Dignity of Labor | Meaning & Concept of Dignity of Labor Essay

Why Labor has Dignity?

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Philosophical Approaches to Work and Labor

1. Conceptual Distinctions: Work, Labor, Employment, Leisure

2. The Value of Work

3. Justice and the Politics of Work

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