The significance of work and leisure as elements of our social fabric have puzzled philosophers and social scientists for generations. This ambitious new study considers historical views of work and leisure alongside contemporary survey evidence about time-use and well-being.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Introduction, Part 1: Leisure, work and well-being: Through a historical lens, 1. Leisure that never existed before: A historical perspective, 2. Was Plato a friend or a foe of leisure?, 3 Aristotle: Philosopher of leisure and happiness, 4. Leisure in Ancient Rome: Otium and Panem et Circenses, 5. Seneca: Philosopher of tranquillity and sadness, 6. St. Augustine: Leisure and happiness in the Earthly City and the City of God, 7. Thomas Aquinas: Vita activa or vita contemplativa?, 8. From the Vale of tears to the Renaissance, 9. Work and leisure in Thomas More's Utopia, 10. Montaigne's Essays and Pascal's Pensées: Of diversion and happiness, 11. Enlightenment's vision of work, leisure and the arts, 12. Adam Smith: Capitalism with a human face?, 13. The 19th century...Was there ever a Golden Age?, 14. Alexis de Tocqueville: Why are Americans restless amidst prosperity?, 15. Karl Marx: Between the 'realm of freedom' and 'material necessity', 16. Emile Durkheim: Of labour, leisure, and anomie, 17. Max Weber: Of work ethic, leisure, and disenchantment, 18. Thorstein Veblen: From the ethics of work to conspicuous consumption, 19. The 20th century: farewell to the "belle époque", 20. Johan Huizinga: Sub specie ludi, 21. Pitirim Sorokin: At the crossroad of Ideational and Sensate cultures, 22. Joseph Pieper: Apology for vita contemplativa, 23. Hannah Arendt: Of 'human condition', 24. From the Middletown and Middletown in Transition to The Lonely Crowd, 25. Leisure research yesterday and today: Quo Vadis?, Part II: Leisure, work and well-being: Changing the diopter, 26. What happened to the society of leisure? Two scenarios, 27. Work-leisure relationship: The 'long arm of work'?, 28. Leisure and social prestige: Keeping up with the Joneses?, 29. The pros and cons of the 'democratization of culture', 30. Of happiness, leisure and riches, Conclusion