Book contents
- Hijacked
- Hijacked
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 The Dual Nature of the Protestant Work Ethic and the Birth of Utilitarianism
- 2 Locke and the Progressive Work Ethic
- 3 How Conservatives Hijacked the Work Ethic and Turned It Against Workers
- 4 Welfare Reform, Famine, and the Ideology of the Conservative Work Ethic
- 5 The Progressive Work Ethic (1): Smith, Ricardo, and Ricardian Socialists
- 6 The Progressive Work Ethic (2): J. S. Mill
- 7 The Progressive Work Ethic (3): Marx
- 8 Social Democracy as the Culmination of the Progressive Work Ethic
- 9 Hijacked Again: Neoliberalism as the Return of the Conservative Work Ethic
- 10 Conclusion: What Should the Work Ethic Mean for Us Today?
- Acknowledgments
- Major Works Cited
- Notes
- Index
- The Seeley Lectures
1 - The Dual Nature of the Protestant Work Ethic and the Birth of Utilitarianism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 September 2023
- Hijacked
- Hijacked
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 The Dual Nature of the Protestant Work Ethic and the Birth of Utilitarianism
- 2 Locke and the Progressive Work Ethic
- 3 How Conservatives Hijacked the Work Ethic and Turned It Against Workers
- 4 Welfare Reform, Famine, and the Ideology of the Conservative Work Ethic
- 5 The Progressive Work Ethic (1): Smith, Ricardo, and Ricardian Socialists
- 6 The Progressive Work Ethic (2): J. S. Mill
- 7 The Progressive Work Ethic (3): Marx
- 8 Social Democracy as the Culmination of the Progressive Work Ethic
- 9 Hijacked Again: Neoliberalism as the Return of the Conservative Work Ethic
- 10 Conclusion: What Should the Work Ethic Mean for Us Today?
- Acknowledgments
- Major Works Cited
- Notes
- Index
- The Seeley Lectures
Summary
Would you quit working if you won a lottery big enough to enable you to live comfortably off the annual payout? Numerous surveys of Americans since 1980 find that a majority say they would keep working. Of those Americans who have won huge lotteries, 85–90 percent do continue working. While the numbers are lower for people in low-paying unskilled jobs, these results reflect the continuing power of the Protestant work ethic in American life. Most Americans view work as something more than just a meal ticket. They view it as fulfilling a duty to contribute to society, as a source of pride, and as a locus of meaning.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- HijackedHow Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back, pp. 1 - 19Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023