Just Work
Published on 1. March 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-674-02408-3 (ISBN)
Description
This elegant essay on the justice of work focuses on the fit between who we are and the kind of work we do. Russell Muirhead shows how the common hope for work that fulfills us involves more than personal interest; it also points to larger understandings of a just society. We are defined in part by the jobs we hold, and Muirhead has something important to say about the partial satisfactions of the working life, and the increasingly urgent need to balance the claims of work against those of family and community.
Against the tendency to think of work exclusively in contractual terms, Muirhead focuses on the importance of work to our sense of a life well lived. Our notions of freedom and fairness are incomplete, he argues, without due consideration of how we fit the work we do.
Muirhead weaves his argument out of sociological, economic, and philosophical analysis. He shows, among other things, how modern feminism's effort to reform domestic work and extend the promise of careers has contributed to more democratic understandings of what it means to have work that fits. His account of individual and social fit as twin standards of assessment is original and convincing--it points both to the unavoidable problem of distributing bad work in society and to the personal importance of finding fulfilling work. These themes are pursued through a wide-ranging discussion that engages thinkers from Plato to John Stuart Mill to Betty Friedan. Just Work shows what it would mean for work to make good on the high promise so often invested in it and suggests what we--both as a society and as individuals--might do when it falls short.
Against the tendency to think of work exclusively in contractual terms, Muirhead focuses on the importance of work to our sense of a life well lived. Our notions of freedom and fairness are incomplete, he argues, without due consideration of how we fit the work we do.
Muirhead weaves his argument out of sociological, economic, and philosophical analysis. He shows, among other things, how modern feminism's effort to reform domestic work and extend the promise of careers has contributed to more democratic understandings of what it means to have work that fits. His account of individual and social fit as twin standards of assessment is original and convincing--it points both to the unavoidable problem of distributing bad work in society and to the personal importance of finding fulfilling work. These themes are pursued through a wide-ranging discussion that engages thinkers from Plato to John Stuart Mill to Betty Friedan. Just Work shows what it would mean for work to make good on the high promise so often invested in it and suggests what we--both as a society and as individuals--might do when it falls short.
Reviews / Votes
Muirhead makes a contribution to both the scholarship and the general public understanding of what's happening to work in modern society. He writes well, and has something important to say about the partial satisfactions of working life, and the balances between work, family, and community. -- Richard Sennett, author of <i>Respect in a World of Inequality</i> In this original and provocative book, Muirhead argues that justice in work is more than a matter of fair wages and decent working conditions; it is also a matter of fit--between the work we do and the persons we are. With a clear and distinctive voice, Muirhead revives work as a subject for political theory and illuminates the ethics of everyday life. -- Michael Sandel, author of <i>Democracy's Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy</i> Muirhead confronts often contradictory elements of the modern working life, from the frustration of slaving away in order to merely survive in a meaningless consumerist cycle to the questionable justice of outsourcing labor that pays foreign workers pennies...Muirhead reveals that the question of just work, even in our modern capitalist society, is still very much aligned with the ancient question of 'the good.' * Publishers Weekly * Muirhead blends sociological, economic, and philosophical perspectives into a comprehensive analysis of the purpose and importance of work as part of life. He carefully considers the importance of person-job fit and emphasizes the personal value to individuals of finding fulfilling work and how the absence of meaningful work can negatively impact social justice...Well written and interesting. -- T. Gutteridge * Choice * Muirhead's clearly and concisely written book is well worth reading for what it has to say about the nature of work in modern America, and the prospects for improving our relationship to it. -- David L. Stebenne * Labor History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
none
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
301 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-02408-3 (9780674024083)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Russell Muirhead is Robert Clements Associate Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College.
Content
Introduction 1. Democracy and the Value of Work 2. Fitting Work in the Contemporary Economy 3. The Justice of Fit 4. The Strains of Service 5. The Work Ethic and Callings 6. The Promise of Fulfillment 7. Friedan's Careerism 8. Work as a Practice Conclusion: The Place of Work Notes Acknowledgments Index