As part of the activities of the Philosophy of Work Network , W. Jared Parmer (RWTH Aachen University) will offer a presentation entitled: “Meaning and Alienation in Work”.

The activities of the Philosophy of Work Network are open to researchers and graduate students with research interests in this area. Please write to the organizers, Denise Celentano (denise.celentano@umontreal.ca) and Pablo Gilabert (pablo.gilabert@concordia.ca), to receive the zoom link.

Abstract

In this talk, I give a synoptic view of philosophical treatments of meaning in work, and how these treatments point to varieties of alienation in work, too. I suggest that there are neoliberal, liberal, and perfectionist approaches of meaningful work. These approaches distinguish themselves by how they answer two key questions: first, must meaningful work be in some way objectively good? and, second, is work somehow special when it comes to living a meaningful life? They generate different paradigm cases of alienated work as the opposite of meaningful work. I will finally offer some reasons for why I, tentatively, endorse a perfectionist approach to meaningful work.