Work, Ethics of

This entry explores key ethical questions posed by work. It begins by addressing how we should conceptualize work and asking why work is of central importance socially. Two long-standing competing visions of work's value are then explored, one where work is equated with toil and deemed a “disutility,” the other with creativity and the realization of essential human powers. These visions reveal the goods and bads philosophers and workers have associated with work activity, and help explain why experiencing “meaningful work” is both a deep-seated aspiration and a fundamental social concern. The discussion then moves to consider three recurring ethical themes in the philosophical literature on work, that of distributive justice and justice generally, of freedom and the organization of work, and of domination and exploitation.