Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time explores the concept of work from prehistoric times to the present day. Suzman challenges traditional economic views, arguing that hunter-gatherer societies had more leisure time than modern workers. The book covers topics like energy, agriculture, and industrialization, offering insights into how work shapes human society. While some readers found it enlightening and well-researched, others criticized its lack of focus on women's work and its occasional historical inaccuracies. Overall, the book provides a thought-provoking perspective on the role of work in human history and its future implications.
Work is fundamental to life, rooted in energy and entropy
Human evolution shaped by tool use and fire mastery
Agriculture revolutionized human society and work patterns
Cities transformed human relationships and occupations
Industrial Revolution redefined work and social structures
Modern work culture shaped by efficiency and consumerism
Automation challenges traditional notions of work and value
Rethinking work in the face of environmental limits
To live is to work.
Energy and entropy. All living organisms must capture and use energy to survive, grow, and reproduce. This process of energy utilization is, at its core, work. The concept of work in physics - the transfer of energy - applies to all life forms, from single-cell organisms to complex animals.
Universal drive. The need to work is not unique to humans but is a fundamental aspect of all life. Even seemingly idle creatures like plants are constantly working to convert sunlight into energy. This universal drive to work is closely tied to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy (disorder) in a closed system always increases over time.
Purposeful activity. For humans, work extends beyond mere survival. It encompasses all purposeful activities, from hunting and gathering to modern professional occupations. This broader definition of work includes activities we might consider leisure, highlighting the blurred line between work and play in human experience.
Fire was not only the first great energy revolution in our species' history, it was also the first great labour-saving technology.
Tool use and brain development. The human ability to create and use tools played a crucial role in our evolution. Tool use led to changes in our physical anatomy, particularly in our hands and brains. The increasing complexity of tools corresponded with growth in brain size and cognitive abilities.
Fire as a game-changer. The mastery of fire was a pivotal moment in human evolution:
It allowed for cooking, which increased the nutritional value of food
It provided warmth and protection from predators
It extended the day, allowing for more social interaction and cultural development
Cognitive leap. Fire and tool use together created a feedback loop of increasing intelligence and social complexity. This led to the development of language, art, and more sophisticated social structures, setting humans apart from other species.
If foragers like the Ju/'hoansi enjoyed a form of affluence without abundance because they had modest desires that were easily met, and lived in an environment that was only ever capable of sustainably meeting those modest desires, the Natufians enjoyed a form of affluence based on far greater material abundance.
Shift from foraging to farming. The transition to agriculture, beginning around 12,000 years ago, fundamentally changed human society. This shift was not uniform or simultaneous across the globe, but occurred independently in several regions.
New work patterns. Agriculture introduced:
Seasonal work cycles
The concept of property and ownership
The need for long-term planning and storage
Specialization of labor
Social implications. The agricultural revolution led to:
Larger, more permanent settlements
Increased population growth
The emergence of social hierarchies and inequality
New forms of social organization and governance
As the first large assemblies of people who did not spend any time or effort producing food, they were led by a cocktail of circumstances, curiosity and boredom to find other creative things to do with their energy.
Urban innovation. Cities became crucibles of creativity and innovation, allowing for the development of new professions, technologies, and social structures. The concentration of people in urban areas led to a explosion of specialized occupations beyond food production.
New social dynamics. Urban life introduced:
Anonymous interactions with strangers
The need for new forms of social organization and governance
The development of markets and trade
The emergence of writing systems and record-keeping
Cultural acceleration. Cities became centers of cultural and technological advancement, leading to rapid changes in human knowledge, beliefs, and ways of life. This urban environment set the stage for future revolutions in human society and work.
The Industrial Revolution not only enabled the rapid growth of the human population but also fundamentally transformed how people engaged with the world around them: how they reckoned their place in the cosmos and their relationships with the gods, with their land, with their environments and with each other.
Technological transformation. The Industrial Revolution, beginning in the late 18th century, brought about unprecedented changes in work and society:
Mechanization of production
New energy sources (steam, coal, later electricity)
Factory system and mass production
Urbanization and demographic shifts
Social upheaval. These changes led to:
The rise of the working class and labor movements
New economic systems and theories
Changes in family structures and gender roles
Rapid scientific and technological advancement
Work redefined. The nature of work itself changed dramatically:
Shift from skilled craftwork to repetitive factory labor
Standardization of working hours and conditions
Emergence of new professions and industries
Increased productivity and material wealth
Taylor's scientific method was based on breaking down any production process into its smallest component elements, timing each of them, evaluating their importance and complexity, and then reassembling the process from top to bottom with a focus on maximising efficiency.
Scientific management. Frederick Winslow Taylor's principles of scientific management, introduced in the early 20th century, aimed to maximize efficiency in industrial production. This approach:
Broke down complex tasks into simple, repeatable actions
Measured and standardized work processes
Separated planning from execution
Consumer culture. The rise of mass production led to:
Increased availability of consumer goods
Marketing and advertising to create demand
The idea of work as a means to afford consumer lifestyle
Work-life balance. As productivity increased, so did discussions about:
Reducing working hours
Paid vacation and leisure time
The role of work in personal identity and fulfillment
We are being afflicted with a new disease of which some readers may not yet have heard the name, but of which they will hear a great deal in the years to come – namely, technological unemployment.
Job displacement. Automation and artificial intelligence are reshaping the job market:
Many traditional jobs are at risk of being automated
New types of jobs are emerging, often requiring different skills
The pace of change is accelerating, creating uncertainty
Economic implications. Automation raises questions about:
Income distribution and inequality
The future of work and employment
The need for new economic models
Social and philosophical questions. The automation revolution forces us to reconsider:
The role of work in human life and society
The definition of productivity and value
The relationship between work and personal identity
Aggregating the outcomes of the various scenarios they fed into their mainframes showed unequivocally that if there were no significant changes to historical economic and population growth trends – if business continued as usual – then the world would witness a 'sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity' within a century.
Environmental constraints. The realization of planetary boundaries is forcing a reevaluation of economic growth and work:
Climate change and resource depletion challenge the sustainability of current work patterns
The need for a transition to a low-carbon economy will reshape industries and jobs
New economic thinking. Alternative economic models are being proposed:
Circular economy and regenerative design
Degrowth and steady-state economics
Universal basic income and shorter work weeks
Reimagining work. The environmental crisis prompts us to:
Reconsider the relationship between work, consumption, and well-being
Explore more sustainable and fulfilling forms of work
Reevaluate the goals of economic activity and societal progress