Abolish Work edited by Nick Ford

Description

A collection of articles–ranging from the practical to the theoretical to the poetic–on doing without work. These pieces postulate scenarios of this society without work (including the use of robots to do what humans are currently needed for), describe the desirability of no-work for each of us individually, explore how work is a bad thing both personally and culturally, and offer suggestions on how to do less of it while holding down a job, as well as how to keep an appropriate relationship to it when necessary. While the editor is an anarchist, many of these essays have been lifted from the internet (with some very light editing), including authors who are not anarchists (notably multiple entries by John Danaher).

This text is a departure for LBC, as it is staunchly not-green, and tends toward a soft market-anarchist perspective. The editor considers it a challenge to LBC’s readership, and it certainly counts as an interesting exercise.

The charming introduction is written by David D’Amato. 

the table of contents:

1. Anti-Work 101 
Preface 
Should We Abolish Work?  
Does Work Really Work? 
8 Hours Too Many? 
On The Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs 
Antiwork–A Radical Shift in How we View Jobs 
From the Realm of Necessity to the Realm of Freedom
Divesting from the System: Spotlight on Jobs 

2. Anti-Work Commentaries
Preface  
Thoughts on Employment: “So What Do You Do?” 
To My Potential New Employer 
Why I Don’t Care About You: an open letter to my employer 
I Quit, Because Capitalism
Putting Work on Ice 
Should We Have a Right to Not Work? 
Does Work Undermine Our Freedom? 
Inclined Labor 
Stress, Labor, & Play
The Ecology of Play 

3. Anti-Work and Technological Unemployment 
Preface 
Are We Heading for Technological Unemployment? An Argument 
Capitalism, Not Technological Unemployment, is the Problem 
The David Autor Series  
Why Haven’t Robots Taken Our Jobs? The Complementarity Effect 
Automation and Income Inequality: understanding the polarization effect 
Polanyi’s Paradox: Will Humans Maintain Any Advantage over Machines?  
When Jobs Become Obsolete 
The Nicholas Carr Responses, part 3 
4. Anti-Work and Individualist Anarchism 
Preface 
The Individualist Anarchist and Work 
The Libertarian Virtue of Slack 
“WORK!” 
Outlining a Story for the Anti-Work Position 
On Your Last Day of Work 
Conclusion: An Anti-Work World 
Further Readings and Resources