Work Has No Intrinsic Meaning
Work has no intrinsic meaning. The statement is either true or false, in which case if it is true then the same activity may be work in one context and not work in another; therefore work would derive its meaning from its social and economic contexts. If work does not have intrinsic meaning then is has extrinsic meaning. This suggests that people in the society construct the meaning or significance of work and that it may mean different things to different people and different things at different times and places. It will be shown that the meaning of work is indeed extrinsic through the meanings society attaches to it as well as the meanings attached to the concept of work. Starting with defining what work is and a brief look at its history, it will be shown that there is no exact definition to "work." After discussion about the definition of "work" it will be established that work does not have a meaning attached to it as it is socially constructed. Work is value and structure, activity and ideology, fact and myth (Jenkins and Sherman, 1980). It is a generally accepted principle that "work" is good for people and necessary for any society to live and use its resources efficiently. Recently, work has shaped such imperat
Just as the meaning of work in Ancient Greece developed within a historically distinctive social structure, the contemporary meaning of work has been formed within a particular historical context. Of greatest significance has been the development of "free" contracts of employment (Why Work, 1996). These contracts have produced a distinction between "work" and "leisure". While one was "working", the individual was contracted to comply with the demands of the employer, as noted in the terms of the contract. Only literally, outside of actual "working hours," was he or she really free to do whatever the law allowed. Whereas the boundary between everyday life and activities had been blurred, the creation of these employment contracts meant that people were now hired. Individuals who wished to participate in society's "better" were hired for specified hours to perform tasks that had no immediate connection to their immediate everyday requirements. Moreover, work has become known as the total of all those activities undertaken as a means of making a living, or acquiring money, or income, with which to satisfy our socially constructed demands as workers and consumers of a society. In Ancient Greece, anything that disfigured the body was regarded as a humiliating activity in which slaves only undertook (Language and History, 1980). This understanding of work once reflected, as well as reinforced, the position of a leader. There was nothing equivalent to a "work ethic" in that era, let alone the thought that manual activity could be a source for fulfillment. The Hebrews looked upon work as painful labor to which man was condemned by sin. In ancient Christianity, work was seen as punishment but also served as the unknown ends of charity, health of the body and soul, and warding off the evil thoughts of idleness. But work, being of this world, was of no worth in itself (Mills, 1951, pg. 216). Luther (1483-1546) first established in the modern mind that work was 'the base and key to life' and that idleness is an unnatural and evil evasion. ives as economic programs, including political platforms, educational and social welfare systems, and even areas such as the correctional system and individual therapy. As good as "work" may be, what exactly is work and where di
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Approximate Word count = 1540
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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