Philosophy
I was driving in this morning after dropping off a short person for the last day of school before summer vacation and listening to Jack Johnson's song "Banana Pancakes" and couldn't help thinking of one of TheWife's soapbox issues -- the 40 hour work week. American culture is so infected with a combination of the Protestant work ethic and the idolization of capitalism (indeed, Weber argues that they cannot be separated) that we believe the right thing to do is to sacrifice the good life for the productive life that maximizes profits for shareholders. Living in a way that climbs the ladder is more important than living in a way that brings contentment and flourishing. "If you don't want to work here with only two weeks vacation a year, I'll find someone who will."
I'm lucky that my job comes with a great degree of flexibility, much more than many of my friends. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do things that give back to the community, like coaching little league or teaching at a local middle school. Without lighter summers, I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with my kids. But my job is far and away an exception.
Is it possible to do here what they do in Europe and build more humanity into our work schedule? Is telecommuting a step in the right direction or does is simply cause job-creep where now you cannot even relax and be at home when you are at home. With cell phones and e-mail are you always on the clock? Our suburban spread without mass transit makes commute times eat into our living time and increases our stress. Is there any chance that we'll rethink how we live and restructure it in a way that would let us make banana pancakes on a rainy Wednesday?
- Is The Protestant Work Ethic Ethical?
Been thinking about Max Weber's work lately and in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, he considers the fact that Catholics at the time held significantly less power and wealth throughout Europe than their Protestant counterparts....
- How Much Vacation Is The Right Amount?
Travel anywhere and you will find lots of Europeans, especially Germans who get much more vacation than American workers. Two weeks a year certainly does not lend itself to human flourishing. How much vacation would be appropriate? How much time off would...
- What's Wrong With Being Lazy?
When I was in Lake Charles, Louisiana a few weeks back, a topic of discussion that came up in several different contexts was the way the local Cajun population was considered. They are a minority and are pejoratively labeled with many of the negative...
- City Planning And Ethics
I have to give a talk today to the Pennsylvania Planners Association which is meeting in Gettysburg this year. They have an annual gathering, and there is a code of ethics that gets a panel discussion each session. They like to bring in a philosopher...
- My Students Think I'm A Teacher...the Fools
Driving in yesterday, I was flipping around the radio dial and came across a couple of morning drive-time dj's ribbing a station administration type about how much he was paying to send his kids to college. The claim they were making is that college...
Philosophy
The Right or the Good?
I was driving in this morning after dropping off a short person for the last day of school before summer vacation and listening to Jack Johnson's song "Banana Pancakes" and couldn't help thinking of one of TheWife's soapbox issues -- the 40 hour work week. American culture is so infected with a combination of the Protestant work ethic and the idolization of capitalism (indeed, Weber argues that they cannot be separated) that we believe the right thing to do is to sacrifice the good life for the productive life that maximizes profits for shareholders. Living in a way that climbs the ladder is more important than living in a way that brings contentment and flourishing. "If you don't want to work here with only two weeks vacation a year, I'll find someone who will."
I'm lucky that my job comes with a great degree of flexibility, much more than many of my friends. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do things that give back to the community, like coaching little league or teaching at a local middle school. Without lighter summers, I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with my kids. But my job is far and away an exception.
Is it possible to do here what they do in Europe and build more humanity into our work schedule? Is telecommuting a step in the right direction or does is simply cause job-creep where now you cannot even relax and be at home when you are at home. With cell phones and e-mail are you always on the clock? Our suburban spread without mass transit makes commute times eat into our living time and increases our stress. Is there any chance that we'll rethink how we live and restructure it in a way that would let us make banana pancakes on a rainy Wednesday?
- Is The Protestant Work Ethic Ethical?
Been thinking about Max Weber's work lately and in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, he considers the fact that Catholics at the time held significantly less power and wealth throughout Europe than their Protestant counterparts....
- How Much Vacation Is The Right Amount?
Travel anywhere and you will find lots of Europeans, especially Germans who get much more vacation than American workers. Two weeks a year certainly does not lend itself to human flourishing. How much vacation would be appropriate? How much time off would...
- What's Wrong With Being Lazy?
When I was in Lake Charles, Louisiana a few weeks back, a topic of discussion that came up in several different contexts was the way the local Cajun population was considered. They are a minority and are pejoratively labeled with many of the negative...
- City Planning And Ethics
I have to give a talk today to the Pennsylvania Planners Association which is meeting in Gettysburg this year. They have an annual gathering, and there is a code of ethics that gets a panel discussion each session. They like to bring in a philosopher...
- My Students Think I'm A Teacher...the Fools
Driving in yesterday, I was flipping around the radio dial and came across a couple of morning drive-time dj's ribbing a station administration type about how much he was paying to send his kids to college. The claim they were making is that college...