Source: “Le travail dans un monde post-croissance (Dominique Méda)” (56-minute video)
- Currently, the economy and commercialized work dominates our society.
- Many societies are not based on “commercialized work” and don’t have a word for it.
- Adam Smith: work enables us to create wealth. We are interested in the latter (not in work itself).
- During the 18th century, our values changed significantly: from valuing moderation (a traditional christian value) to valuing wealth.
- The goal became to produce as much as possible – more than we need to fulfill out immediate needs.
- Work becomes something meaningful: To assert ourselves in the world, we have to work.