The Evolution of Work - Essay Example

? (YOUR (THE The Evolution of Work Work is a vital part of everyday life. Every human being must work in order to successfully live their lives in a developing world. With the importance of work, the word itself had grown to be complex as time unfolded. This paper will show that the very definition of work has changed as history progressed which, in turn, was due to extensive economic development. As parameters for this essay, it will first detail the general meaning of work then it will focus on the American sense of work ethics. For the following paragraphs, this paper will expound on the historical context of work. It will then relate work to the religion of American Protestantism. Thereafter, the significant changes in American work ethics will be tackled with relations to historical progress and economic development. In the denotative aspect of work, the word means the physical or mental effort and activity directed towards the production or the accomplishment of a particular task. The applications of this word towards everyday life give work a complex meaning due to the ever changing events in human activity. It is in this sense that historical contextualization becomes important in the understanding of the development of the word. One notable event in history which gave work a turning definition was during the 15th to the 16th centuries where the Age of Navigation was at its height and the colonial period took its hold upon history. What was the primary objective of work during such period? Work and its meaning can be defined in two ways: one was in the context of the colonizers, and the other was in the context of the colonized. This means that there was a dichotomy of work with respect to the Western powers and in the context of the un-colonized world. For the Western powers, work was defined as a task of parenthood. For them, the reason of conquest was to bring civilization to the uncivilized world. Hence, the process of conquest was an important factor in order to achieve their work of civilizing the uncivilized. The colonizers took the image of schoolmasters as they were the learned ones who were tasked to educate the uneducated and to present a better life for them (Geddes). However, this definition of work - which was exclusive in the perspective of the Western powers - was unfortunately masked. The objectives of the colonizers sounded good because they had this promise of a better life for the un-colonized. Education and the introduction of civilization through conquest was the primary way of bringing the good life that they were experiencing at their homelands. This definition was not the same for the colonized. For the natives of the Western colonizers, the definition of work was a form of acculturation and conforming to the demands of their masters (Geddes). Although the promise of a better life through economic development was presented as a compromise of being colonies, the ultimate benefit of this process of colonization was one-sided – it was only beneficial to the colonizers. Exploitation of natural resources and the development of slavery were the major products of this period in history. It was the burden of the Western powers to civilize the natives and to take the economic advantages for themselves as part of development for their motherland (Geddes). Hence, work for the colonized natives meant the physical aspect of its denotative definition. They were subjected into forced labour, like that of the corvee of the British Empire in India. Work for the colonized was difficult because they had to endure the dictates of the colonizers accompanied by eventual abuses by their masters (Geddes). As economic development happened with historical progress, the definition of work became complex. Mercantilism was shut down and capitalism took its beginnings through the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. It was in this moment that complexity in work entered due to the technological developments of that time. New machinery was introduced; hence mass production was possible with the ability to produce consumer products by the plenty under lower costs. Capital accumulation and the notion of investments were already considered during this period. Terms such as workers’ wages and profits were prevalent during the 18th century. Production lines and mass production were the dominant trends (Judis). What does this mean for the definition of work? With complexity injected due to economic development, the players in the dichotomy of the perspectives in work had suddenly changed. The terms of colonizers and the colonized eventually disappeared. This was replaced by the capitalist and the worker. Also, associated terms and working conditions between both parties were introduced – investments, expand production, subsistence and workers’ wages and the concept of industrialization (Judis). As the following centuries entered the historical development, economic progress took its dominance upon the world. Together with this, the definition of work changed. Liberalism, Modernism and Globalization invaded the aspect of economic flow as products of capitalism. The dichotomy of economic players as presented during the Age of Navigation and the Industrial Revolution were constantly present but had significantly declined as compared to its previous recognitions during the past centuries. Organization and the process of interaction became the primary themes during these latter periods. The concepts of supply and demand were the core media of the economic flow. Everything was dependent on both of the mentioned concepts. With supply and demand, organization of national and multi-national companies was created and the process of interaction between these companies was prevalent (Geddes). What does this mean in relation to the definition of work? Work was directed not only to mere dichotomies but to economic development itself. Work was not only attached to terms such as the colonized and the colonizer, the workers and the capitalists. Work meant attachment to the running economy. When a person works, a person participates in the economic development of the prevailing period. Work was indeed tantamount to economy itself (Geddes). As what had been sketched in the historical context above, the definition of work is greatly associated to economy and the accumulation of profit. However, the objectives of work are not entirely confined to the economy. In fact, the people’s driving force for work can be associated to religion. Religion is one that captures the beliefs and, most of the time, the way of life of individuals. Hence, a partnership between profit accumulation and religious fulfilment can be derived out of this. A perfect example of this can be seen in the American society. To be specific, the religion of Protestantism is one that affects the drive of a person to work and ultimately produce profit that contributes to the running American economy. At the turn of the 19th up to the early parts of the 20th century, America had experienced its own Industrial Revolution. During that time, the religion of Protestantism was wide-spread, especially in the northern states where the founding fathers had established their colonies. With Protestantism imbibed within the American way of life, its citizens had come to know that the goal of life was salvation. Following this belief and with their firm adherence to the precepts of Protestantism, the Americans had developed this attitude that their everyday work was to be for the glory of God. This meant that their efforts in order to fulfill their daily tasks were in line with the accomplishment of salvation; that the accumulation of profit was partly intended for the fulfilment of God’s favour. Work was primarily a means of avoiding temptations which span from sexual activities to mere social dancing. In the American context of the mid-19th century, work was regarded as a way to resist committing sin and as a venue to purify the body from unwanted pleasures (Judis). It is clear that work in the American sense was both economic and religious oriented. It satisfies both the demands to strengthen the individual and the national economy and the fulfilment of religious demands for salvation. As time progressed, the Protestant work ethics lay firm within Protestant Americans. These individuals were indeed, distinct from others in the workplace. These Protestants, in some way, took a stand to be different from other workers. One way where these Protestants were different from their non-Protestant co-workers was towards their attitude at work. They were usually composed, always keeping their “cool”. This exemplar demeanour at work was always attributed to the higher source of strength that the Protestants have – the strength from God. Another way that these Protestants showed distinction in work ethics was their firm ability to stand by what was right and to avoid what was wrong. This was their ability to exercise their morality in order to appease what the precepts of their religion demanded (Sikkink). The Protestant work ethics have had its positive contributions to the economy per se. Good governance and a clean working atmosphere were some of the basic yet important effects. The honesty to handle money and the internalized biblical standards which produced trustworthiness made the economic processes and business transactions of particular companies smooth thus had increased productivity (Sikkink). Like the constant changes of the definition of work in terms of economic progress, the religious aspect in the American context of work had also changed due to the economic development of subsequent historical timeframes. As both World Wars and America’s recovery from the Great Depression had marked their prints unto history, the economic flow of the nation had been ever expanding. American capitalism flourished, productivity rose and the accumulation of profit intensified. New demands for goods were produced and new outlets for new investments were created. Advertisements through technological advancements were rampant in the society. From what was presented earlier as partnership in religion and economy for a better work ethics, the work attitudes of the Americans had gradually changed. From work ethics directed towards the salvation in the afterlife, work ethics became directed towards the existence of pleasure for one’s present life (Judis). It is clear that work in the American sense, with relations to the nation’s economic development, had turned from the ultimate achievement of religious aspects towards the desire to be satisfied with a better lifestyle. How different are both periods in American history when it comes to work and the nation’s economic development? The earlier part of American history provided its citizens with the proper outlook in life which followed the precepts of religion. Americans then believed in salvation as the ultimate goal in life (Judis). They based their livelihood according to the Christian teachings in the Bible and according to morality. In effect, as what was discussed earlier, the economy had prospered together with individual satisfaction of religious obligation. In the latter parts of historical development, that of which moving towards the 20th century, work ethics transformed into the mere achievement of leisure and the desire to taste luxury that was once available only to the elite. With technological advancements present in the society and with the healthy flow of the economy after the Great Depression, the purpose of work became leisure-oriented (Judis). Americans wanted the relaxed life. Although religion was still important in American life, religious-oriented work ethics had been diminished because the 20th century showcased a comfortable and better life – one that can be achieved by any citizen through hard work. Clearly, work in the American sense had changed with relations to historical progress and economic factors and development. On a personal note and as one who lives with workers that observe the precepts of Christianity in their everyday lives, I have seen the fusion of what is presented by the American work ethics – a combination between religious-oriented and luxury-oriented work ethics. My uncles and aunts who work in the American society observe Christian teachings in and out of their workplace and at the same time they strive for a better lifestyle - a lifestyle of significant luxury that can at least come close to their ultimate desires of a good life. Indeed as history progressed and as the economy developed, the very definition of work has changed according to its respective context. From the Age of Navigation, to the Industrial Revolution, up to the unfolding of Liberalism, Modernism and Globalization, work had spanned to refer to colonizer-colonized relationship, capitalist-worker relationship and to the ultimate free trade international interaction. In the American sense, work and work ethics had evolved as well. From a partnership of economic development and religion, to the subjugation of religious-oriented work ethics in place of a desire for luxury, work had evolved and is continually evolving according to the dictates of history and economic flow. Works Cited Geddes, Bill. “Capitalism and Work: The White Man’s Burden”. Blog on Capitalism. The History and Nature of Capitalism, 8 Jan. 2011. Web. 4 March 2011. Judis, John B. “Value-Free”. Oxford 1999 Web Page. The New Republic, 3 May 1999. Web. 4 March 2011. Sikkink, David. “Religion at Work: Conservative Protestantism, Religiosity, and Ethics in the Workplace”. University of Notre Dame Web Page. n.p., 2000. Web. 4 March 2011. Read More