Perhaps a third of a human life is spent at work. If you worry about life’s meaning, then the question of what makes work meaningful ought to be a very live one for you.
Add to that thought another — our working lives seem on the cusp of a very big change. Thanks to advances in technology, a lot of people think many jobs will soon be eliminated by automation. According to a recent report, 800 million jobs will be lost worldwide by 2030. And it’s not just driverless cars and automated factories — everything from tax preparers and paralegals are at risk.
In this issue’s forum, our contributors ask, what makes work meaningful? What is the future of work against the backdrop of automation (and can Marx help us make sense of it)? You’ll be glad to know that some of our authors are against the very idea of work. One argues that work is a bad thing, and we should create a society in which work is no longer necessary. It’s a thought to have the next time you hear about automation. The machines might not be taking our jobs — they might be setting us free from work.
