Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Good Work

By E. F. Schumacher

Although these talks were given more than 40 years ago, the transcripts from these lectures given in the US during the mid-1970's, address one of the most pressing problems we face today: meaningful work in this age of automation, information technology, and artificial intelligence. Science fiction books and movies mainly point out the danger of AI enslaving humans while the more subversive and near danger may be humans enslaving themselves in a robot-like way of life. Schumacher makes a strong case for the humanization of work, for the value of work not just for survival, to make money, to gain esteem and power; but for personal fulfillment, the benefit of society, and for the negation of egocentrism through collaborative work sharing.

Quotes from Good Work

Unless there are conscious efforts to the contrary, wants will always rise faster than the ability to meet them.”

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Themes: Desire Hope

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“adapt the work to the needs of the worker rather than demand that the worker adapt himself to the needs of the work”

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“Meaningless work is an abomination... reject meaningless, boring, stultifying, or nerve-racking work [where you are] made the servant of a machine or a system.”

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“Perhaps we cannot raise the winds. But each of us can put up the sail, so that when the wind comes we can catch it.”

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“Science can do everything except lead us out of the dark wood of a meaningless, purposeless, 'accidental' existence.”

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Themes: Science

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“The amount of genuine leisure in a society is generally in inverse proportion to the amount of labor-saving machinery it employs.”

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Themes: Culture

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“The purpose of education should be to lead people out of the dark wood of meaninglessness, purposelessness, drift, and indulgence, up a mountain where there can be gained the truth that makes you free.”

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Themes: Education

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“The real task of education is not education for work, but education for leisure... education for the sake of leading us out of the dark wood of egoentricity, pettiness, and worldly ignorance”

Chapters:

Themes: Education

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