
In Praise of Idleness, by Bertrand Russell - cardigan
http://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/?single=1
======
sidko
Some previous discussion on Hacker News:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6513765](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6513765)

300 points | 824 days ago | 120 comments

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9015092](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9015092)

161 points | 336 days ago | 50 comments

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littletimmy
A timeless read. It is almost sad to see how people who lived in in the early
part of the twentieth century were so optimistic about technology. From
Russell to Keynes, they all predicted an era of surplus where no one would
have to work so hard. Instead, we got draconian working hours, rampant worker
insecurity, and reptiles like Greenspan making public policy who think worker
insecurity is good.

~~~
dragandj
Please also read accounts of people who wrote about the ordinary people's
living and working conditions _at the same time_ , such as George Orwell's
Wigam Pier, many essays or Down and out in Paris and London, and you'd be
amazed at how far better we live now.

Compared to that time (1920s, 1930s), people today (in the developed world)
really DO NOT have to work so hard and the surplus is huge.

~~~
toomuchtodo
> Compared to that time (1920s, 1930s), people today (in the developed world)
> really DO NOT have to work so hard and the surplus is huge.

We could be working even less though.

[https://c4ad.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/epi-disconnect-
betw...](https://c4ad.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/epi-disconnect-between-
productivity-and-wages-v1.png)

[http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/](http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/)

~~~
dragandj
Sure, but are you sure that we wouldn't get worse results and thus decreased
living conditions?

On the other hand, who is 'we'? Some people already work even less ;)

Just to make clear, I do not argue that the situation is good as it is, I just
replied to the post that complained that Russell was naive and off the mark.
In my opinion, as far as predicting the future can go, Russell was
fantastically right in many things. Of course not everything is right and we
should work even less.

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Kinnard
Funny fact, this is used as Lorem Ipsum in a lot of npm packages.

