David Graeber on the Value of Work

Summary

The transcript explores the societal value of work, questioning the purpose of jobs that contribute little to society. It highlights the disconnect between personal fulfillment and the traditional labor theory of value, which has been historically male-centric. The speaker suggests a shift towards valuing care work, as exemplified by the Occupy Wall Street movement, as a new paradigm for understanding the true value of labor, ultimately focusing on the production of people rather than commodities.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The necessity for a reevaluation of what constitutes valuable work in order to create a sustainable economy.
• 🤝 The common feeling among individuals that their jobs lack meaningful contribution, leading to a sense of uselessness in their professional roles.
• 🍷 The revealing of job insignificance often comes after people let their guard down, suggesting a societal discomfort with the nature of their work.
• 🤖 The prevalence of jobs that could be automated but are instead filled by people who feel they are not contributing substantively to their organizations.
• 🏭 A historical shift from the industrial labor theory of value to a focus on the productivity of entrepreneurial brains, impacting how work is valued.
• 🧐 The questioning of the validity of work and the societal push towards the idea that work is inherently valuable, regardless of its output.
• 👥 The impact of these perceptions on the collective psyche and the dignity of labor, with implications for job satisfaction and societal roles.
• 💼 The paradox of capitalism, where despite the ideology of efficiency, many jobs exist that do not contribute to productivity.
• 👩‍🏫 A call for a new labor theory of value that starts with women's work and caring labor as the paradigm, challenging traditional views on what constitutes productive work.
• 🌹 The Occupy Wall Street movement as an example of a societal pushback against the devaluation of caring professions and the desire for meaningful work.
• 🛠️ The potential for a reformulation of the concept of work and production, emphasizing the production of people and societal values over commodities.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed by the speaker regarding the current economy and its impact on the planet?

The speaker is concerned that the current economy is not sustainable and will destroy the planet. They emphasize the need to rethink the value of work in order to create a viable economy.

Why do people at parties feel embarrassed to admit their job titles, according to the speaker?

People feel embarrassed because they believe their job titles are inflated and they don't actually do substantial work, often just rewriting reports and attending meetings without creating tangible value.

What does the speaker find fascinating about the people who feel their jobs are useless?

The speaker finds it fascinating that a significant percentage of the workforce feels unproductive at their jobs, yet they continue to work, fearing that others might discover their perceived lack of contribution.

How does the speaker relate the issue of perceived useless jobs to the collective soul?

The speaker questions how one can have dignity in labor if they feel their job is useless, and what impact this has on the collective psyche and the societal values of work.

What historical ideology of work does the speaker identify as an impediment to creating a sane society?

The speaker identifies the 19th-century labor theory of value, which was androcentric and focused on productive male factory laborers, as an impediment because it was flawed and easy to attack.

What counter-offensive in the 20th century replaced the labor theory of value according to the speaker?

The counter-offensive that replaced the labor theory of value was the notion that productivity comes from the brains of entrepreneurs, with workers being mere robots carrying out their commands.

How does the speaker describe the shift in the perception of work value in the 20th century?

The speaker describes a shift towards the idea that work is valuable in itself, regardless of whether it produces anything, and that not working or doing work one doesn't like labels a person as bad or lazy.

What role does the speaker believe the uselessness of work plays in the current corporate culture?

The speaker believes that the uselessness of work has become a virtue in corporate culture, where fulfilling work is seen as undermining the disciplinary role of work, leading to the undervaluation of caring professions.

What new labor theory of value does the speaker suggest as a starting point for reformulating societal values of work?

The speaker suggests starting with a labor theory of value that begins with women's work and caring labor as the paradigm, which they believe could lead to a reformulation of how society organizes and values production.

What was the main complaint of the people featured on the 'We Are The 99%' webpage during Occupy Wall Street?

The main complaint was that they wanted to do jobs where they could care for and benefit others, but such jobs paid so little that they couldn't support their own families.

How does the speaker view the potential reformulation of what work is and its value?

The speaker views it as a crucial step towards a reformulation of how society organizes everything, including the concept of production, which they believe should ultimately be about producing the kind of people we want to have around.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 The Illusion of Productive Work

The speaker, an anthropologist, discusses the widespread sentiment among professionals who feel their jobs are unfulfilling and seemingly pointless. This phenomenon is observed in both private firms and under the Soviet system, where full employment is valued over actual productivity. The speaker suggests that this is a result of an ingrained ideology of work, which is a significant barrier to creating a rational society. The discussion highlights the need to reconsider the value of work and the societal structures that support it.

Keywords

💡Viable Economy

A 'viable economy' refers to an economic system that is sustainable and capable of supporting its population without causing irreversible harm to the environment. In the video, the concept is central to the discussion of creating an economic model that does not destroy the planet, emphasizing the need for a reevaluation of what constitutes valuable work within such an economy.

💡Anthropologist

An 'anthropologist' is a social scientist who studies human societies and cultures and their development. The speaker identifies as an anthropologist, using this perspective to explore societal values and the nature of work, as illustrated by their conversations with people at parties who feel their jobs are unfulfilling or unnecessary.

💡Labour Theory of Value

The 'labour theory of value' is an economic theory that suggests the value of a good or service is primarily determined by the amount of labor required to produce it. In the script, the speaker critiques the historical focus on industrial labor and suggests a reevaluation starting with women's work and caring labor as the paradigm.

💡Dignity in Labour

'Dignity in labour' implies that all work has inherent worth and contributes to a person's self-respect and societal standing. The video discusses the erosion of this concept, as many people feel their jobs lack purpose, questioning how dignity can be maintained in such circumstances.

💡Full-Employment Ideology

'Full-employment ideology' refers to the belief that a government should aim for all able individuals to have jobs. The script contrasts this with the reality of made-up jobs in the Soviet system and the paradox of unnecessary positions in capitalist firms, highlighting the disconnect between employment and meaningful work.

💡Productivity

In the context of the video, 'productivity' is the efficiency or effectiveness with which work is done. It is discussed in relation to the shift from valuing industrial labor to valifying the ideas and strategies of entrepreneurs, suggesting a change in how society perceives what constitutes productive work.

💡Caring Labour

'Caring labour' involves work that focuses on the well-being and care of others, often undervalued in traditional economic models. The speaker proposes this as a new paradigm for the labor theory of value, emphasizing its importance in the context of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the desire for meaningful work.

💡Occupy Wall Street

The 'Occupy Wall Street' movement was a series of protests against economic inequality and the influence of corporations on democracy. The video uses the movement as a backdrop to discuss the value of work and the aspirations of the '99%' for jobs that are fulfilling and contribute to society.

💡Reformulation

'Reformulation' in the video refers to the process of redefining or reconceptualizing ideas or concepts. The speaker calls for a reformulation of what work is and what is valuable about it, suggesting a shift towards recognizing the value of caring and nurturing roles in society.

💡Production of People

The 'production of people' is a philosophical concept presented in the video that posits the ultimate goal of any economic system should be the nurturing and development of individuals. It contrasts with the traditional focus on the production of commodities, suggesting a reorientation towards human-centric values.

💡Corporate Lawyers and Strategic Vision Coordinators

These terms represent types of jobs that the speaker suggests are overvalued in the current economic system. The video critiques the allocation of resources to such roles instead of to jobs that directly benefit people, like art or translation, to illustrate the need for a new perspective on the value of labor.

Highlights

The necessity of redefining what constitutes valuable work to create a sustainable economy.

The common feeling of uselessness in one's job, even among senior professionals.

The impact of alcohol on people's willingness to admit their job's lack of substance.

The prevalence of individuals who feel their jobs are redundant or unnecessary.

The existential question of dignity in labor when one's job feels meaningless.

The comparison between the Soviet full-employment ideology and capitalist practices.

The paradox of private firms hiring seemingly unproductive employees in a capitalist system.

The exploration of the ideology of work and its hindrance to creating a sane society.

The historical shift from the labor theory of value to the valorization of entrepreneurial productivity.

The critique of the androcentric view of work and its focus on male factory labor.

The societal push towards the idea that work is valuable in itself, regardless of its output.

The perverse valorization of useless work as a sign of discipline and virtue.

The disconnect between corporate spending on non-productive roles versus essential but undervalued work.

The proposal for a new labor theory of value starting with women's work and caring labor.

The Occupy Wall Street movement as a manifestation of the caring classes' revolt.

The potential for a reformulation of the concept of work and its value in society.

The ultimate goal of production being the production of people, not commodities.

Transcripts

(GASPS)

In so far as it will be possible

to create a viable economy that won't destroy the planet,

we're going to have to think very seriously

about what it is we consider to be valuable in work to begin with.

I meet people at parties. I'd often say, "I'm an anthropologist. What do you do?"

And people would not want to admit it.

After you get them a little drunk they'll say, "Well, you know, actually,

"I'm the senior east coast vision manager for this...

"I don't actually do anything! I rewrite reports and then have meetings.

"Then give them to other people who have meetings about the reports."

Or they would say, "Well, I don't really do anything. I have this computer job.

"I could automate it and write software to do the whole thing but don't tell my boss!"

There's all these people who personally feel their jobs don't actually do anything.

That's fascinating for me because a huge percent of the workforce, I thought,

20%-30%, were sitting there every day thinking, "I'm not actually doing anything.

"I hope nobody figures it out." What does that do to the collective soul?

I mean, how could you have dignity in labour?

You can see how, under the Soviet system,

they're making up jobs to keep everybody looking like they're working.

They have a full-employment ideology. Capitalism is supposed to be the opposite.

A private firm should not be hiring people who don't do anything,

but it's happening all over the place.

I tried to figure out how it happened and I realised it has to do with ideology of work.

It's one of the real impediments to us creating any kind of sane society.

In the 19th century, social movements are actually quite successful

in inculcating a labour theory of value —

an industrial-based labour theory of value.

It took the factory work as a primary idea of work.

People really believed it, but it was very flawed because it was very androcentric.

It had to do with this ideal of productive male factory labourers,

this kind of paradigm for all work.

As a result, it was kind of easy to attack.

So that, suddenly, you would have this counter-offensive in the 20th century,

where this idea is replaced by the notion

that productivity comes from the brains of entrepreneurs

and you're just a bunch of robots carrying out their commands.

So then the question became how to validate work.

They really pushed this originally puritan idea that work is valuable in itself —

it doesn't have to produce anything.

If you're not working at something you don't particularly like

you're just a bad person, a workshy character.

In a perverse way, the uselessness of the work actually became a virtue.

Anything that made the work fulfilling sort of undercut that disciplinary role of work.

And this is the way people think nowadays, that's how you have these corporations

that don't feel they have to pay people to do art or translation

or anything you might do because you actually have some interest in the subject,

but are willing to shell out all this money on corporate lawyers

and strategic vision coordinators and people like that.

So I think that the only way to shift this

is we really need to move toward a new idea of what is valuable in labour.

I would suggest a labour theory of value that starts with women's work,

caring labour, as the paradigm.

During Occupy Wall Street we had this web page called We Are The 99%,

where people could talk about their life situation

and why they supported the occupations.

80% of them were women, and even the men were almost always in caring professions.

Or they were teachers or they were doing social work of some kind

or they were in medicine, but they all had the same complaint.

"I want to do a job where I care for other people and benefit them in some way.

"If you want to do that they pay so little you can't take care of your own family."

I almost thought of this movement as the revolt of the caring classes.

So I think we're at the brink of a reformulation of what work is

and what is valuable about it

that could really lead to a reformulation of how we organise everything,

what we think production even is.

Production is ultimately the production of people.

A collection of commodities is a secondary moment which enables us

to produce people that we'd like to have around — that's what life is really about.