Best Resources on the Philosophy of Work

Looking to learn more about the philosophy of work and the philosophy of economics? Look no farther than these great resources! Ranging from courses, to datasets, to key articles, this is a great starting point to kick off your investigation into the philosophy of work.

Arcesilaus Neos

6/14/20262 min read

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1. Carneades.org | The Philosophy of Work

The course does a great job of outlining a range of different viewpoints on work throughout history. It includes arguments on whether we should value leisure or work, when work turns into slavery, what makes work meaningful, how work should be valued, and who should control the workplace. This is the clearest course with a series of lectures as well as questions to test your understanding after each section. It provides a balanced viewpoint on work while adding in modern takes on how AI, outsourcing, and automation have impacted these traditional philosophical viewpoints.

2. Indicator Curator | Best Indicators for Global Labor Rights

Are you looking to understand how work and labor rights are conceptualized and measured around the world? How do philosophical conceptions of work and meaningful labor correspond to real working conditions on the ground. This helpful article from Indicator Curator walks through the four main pillars of labor rights, and how they are measured around the world: slavery and forced labor, child labor, employment discrimination, and freedom of association and collective bargaining.

3. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | Approaches to Work and Labor

As always, the SEP has a fantastic article on the philosophy of work, covering a wide range of topics from the value of work, the history of work, and the politics of work, the article provides an in depth introduction to the topic. As many SEP articles are, it is a bit denser than other, more introductory resources on this list, but it is a great place to find some of the best citations for the thoughts of famous philosophers throughout history on work and labor.

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