"Workers who do this kind of work, whether they do it in factories, in call centers,or in fulfillment warehouses, do it for pay. There is certainly no other earthly reason to do what they do except for pay." How ironic that the author holds such an opinion. He demonstrates Geertz's claim that it is human nature to have a human nature that is a product of one's society. Even though he is criticizing the ideas of Adam Smith, he unconsciously holds the same biases, despite the supposed openness of scientific inquiry. I do repetitive assembly work (and not just for pay) of the kind he characterizes as "monotonous, meaningless and soul-deadening", yet can find the very same in my socially less valued work as he characterizes for the "masters of the universe": "For folks in this room, the work we do is challenging, it's engaging, it's stimulating, it's meaningful. And if we're lucky, it might even be important." To explore such a different state of mind may be our deepest challenge.
On Nov 27, 2015 Richard Parnell wrote:
"Workers who do this kind of work,
whether they do it in factories, in call centers,or in fulfillment
warehouses, do it for pay. There is certainly no other earthly reason to
do what they do except for pay." How ironic that the author holds such an opinion. He demonstrates Geertz's claim that it is human nature to have a human nature that is a product of one's society. Even though he is criticizing the ideas of Adam Smith, he unconsciously holds the same biases, despite the supposed openness of scientific inquiry. I do repetitive assembly work (and not just for pay) of the kind he characterizes as "monotonous, meaningless and soul-deadening", yet can find the very same in my socially less valued work as he characterizes for the "masters of the universe": "For folks in this
room, the work we do is challenging, it's engaging, it's stimulating,
it's meaningful. And if we're lucky, it might even be important." To explore such a different state of mind may be our deepest challenge.