Per my message last week, I just attended the New Work, New Culture Conference in Detroit this last weekend. Now, this was organized by folks from the Boggs Center, so the overall orientation of the conference was one of activism against the "occupation" of Detroit. I don't know the number of attendees at this point, but it was a gym packed with people, many from Detroit but Continue Reading …
Thoreau’s Unsupported Anti-Technology Sentiments and New Work
If you're new to PEL and don't know what "New Work" refers to, go listen to our episode interviewing Frithjof Bergmann, or my short precog on the topic, or check out the videos on the New Work channel I manage, or read one of the many articles I've written here about it (like this one). There's a "Worldwide Conference" coming up on New Work in Detroit on Oct. 18-20 that I'll Continue Reading …
Is “Do What You Love” Elitist?
Thanks to JSully for pointing me--in the context of our discussions here of New Work--in the direction of the recent Slate article, "In the Name of Love," by Miya Tokumitsu. Tokumitsu here describes the Steve-Jobsian commandment to "do what you love" as elitism, in that only the elite can afford such a luxury, and valuing only work done through love devalues the work Continue Reading …
Mark and Frithjof on Community Production at Bloggingheads.tv
Watch at Bloggingheads.TV In this follow-up to our first video, Frithjof Bergmann discusses the concept of community production in more depth. To what extent is this actually happening now? Is it actually cheaper to produce goods in this setting than via mass production? Who pays for all of this? Some lingering questions get answered. -Mark Linsenmayer Continue Reading …
Mark and Frithjof on Bloggingheads.tv
In light of our podcast discussions here and here, I'm helping Frithjof Bergmann launch what will hopefully be a series of shorter video discussions on New Work at bloggingheads.tv. We made our first recording yesterday, and it has already been posted: Watch at Bloggingheads.tv There shouldn't be much new here for PEL listeners who've already sat through our two Continue Reading …
The Mild Disease of Successful Employment
[Editor's Note: Thanks to new blogger Jacob Wick for this meditation on work. Now go, everyone! Quit your jobs today! -ML] In Episode 83, Frithjof mentioned the large number of successful individuals that are unhappy with their work in the current job system. The feeling this work is creating was described as a "mild disease." This resonated so strongly with me that I Continue Reading …
Episode 83 Follow-Up: Q&A with Frithjof Bergmann
In light of our ep. 83, many listeners had questions on Frithjof's social/political/economic proposals for creating a post-job, pro-meaningful-work world. Mark Linsenmayer here pitches a number of these questions (culled from our blog and Facebook group) to Frithjof. What would a future New Work world look like? How do first-world folks fit into the project? How can I make Continue Reading …
Aristotle v. Nietzsche on Human Nature (And What This Means for New Work)
I want to briefly call attention to the transition between virtue ethics as conceived by Aristotle and the jump to Nietzsche in the context of our New Work discussion. I'm not looking up quotes for this post; I'm less interested in their particular views then in a divergence of ways of thinking about virtue. For Aristotle, man has a Telos, a built-in goal, a type of Continue Reading …
Episode 83 Follow-Up: Q&A with Frithjof Bergmann
In light of our ep. 83, many listeners had questions on Frithjof's social/political/economic proposals for creating a post-job, pro-meaningful-work world. Mark Linsenmayer here pitches a number of these questions (culled from our blog and Facebook group) to Frithjof. What would a future New Work world look like? How do first-world folks fit into the project? How can I make Continue Reading …
Episode 83: New Work with Guest Frithjof Bergmann
Talking with Frithjof Bergmann, Prof. Emeritus from U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor about his book New Work, New Culture (2004, with new English translation release 2019). Frithjof is a world-renowned ex-Hegel/Nietzsche scholar who has worked since the early 80s on projects to realize the goal of "New Work," which is an alternative to the current, dysfunctional job system. New Continue Reading …
Episode 83: New Work with Guest Frithjof Bergmann
Talking with Frithjof Bergmann, Prof. Emeritus from U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor about his book New Work, New Culture (2004, English release coming soon). Frithjof is a world-renowned ex-Hegel/Nietzsche scholar who has worked since the early 80s on projects to realize the goal of "New Work," which is an alternative to the current, dysfunctional job system. New Work enables Continue Reading …
Precognition of Ep. 83: New Work
An introduction to and summary of Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, read by Mark Linsenmayer. The full episode on this topic can be found here. Read more about the topic at partiallyexaminedlife.com. A transcript is available on our Citizen site's Free Stuff page. Continue Reading …
Precognition of Ep. 83: New Work
An introduction to and summary of Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, read by Mark Linsenmayer. The full episode on this topic can be found here. Read a transcript. Continue Reading …
Topic for #83: Frithjof Bergmann on the Job System
Listen to Mark's introduction to this topic via our Precognition mini-episode. On Saturday, 9/21, we're scheduled to interview Frithjof Bergmann, Professor Emeritus from the University of Michigan, about his book New Work, New Culture (published in German in 2004 and due for English-language release this year). I've written on this topic several times on this blog already, Continue Reading …
Listen to the Not School Discussion on F. Bergmann’s “New Work”
July is over, and with it another month of Not School. Join up for some August action, which looks to include some Kant, Jung, David Foster Wallace, Lyotard, the philosophy of computer programming, maybe some more Marx, and more if you get in there now and propose something you'd prefer! My main activity this month was a group on the recent (well, 2003) work of a former prof Continue Reading …
Not School: Frithjof Bergmann’s “New Work, New Culture”
Featuring Mark Linsenmayer, Jason Durso, Khary Robertson, Leland Gregory, Andrew Miles, Michael Burgess, and Tammy Gottschling. Recorded July 28, 2013. On the first 50 pages of the (still not published in full) work, a few months prior to our podcast interview with the author. I think we all agreed that the problem Bergmann identifies is legitimate and urgent: that it's Continue Reading …