"I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."
By Bertrand Russell (1932)
In this witty and provocative essay, Russell argues that modern society's obsession with work is both economically irrational and morally harmful. Written during the Great Depression, the essay challenges the Protestant work ethic and imagines a world where people work far less and live far better.
The Morality of Work
Russell traces the modern glorification of work to two sources: the need of the rich to keep the poor busy, and religious teachings that portray labor as virtuous in itself. He argues both are wrong. Work is not inherently noble—it is simply a means to produce goods and services. When technology makes production more efficient, we should work less, not find new ways to keep everyone busy.
The Four-Hour Workday
Russell's radical proposal: a four-hour workday would be sufficient to produce all necessary goods and services, leaving everyone with ample leisure time for education, art, and personal pursuits. The objection that people wouldn't know what to do with free time, he argues, reflects the impoverished imagination of a work-obsessed culture.
"Modern methods of production have given us the possibility of ease and security for all; we have chosen, instead, to have overwork for some and starvation for others. Hitherto we have continued to be as energetic as we were before there were machines; in this we have been foolish, but there is no reason to go on being foolish forever."
The Dignity of Leisure
Russell distinguishes between the leisure of the rich (which often involves conspicuous consumption and status games) and the genuine leisure he advocates—time for intellectual and creative pursuits, for relationships, for simply being human rather than functioning as an economic unit.
He points out that most great cultural achievements—art, literature, philosophy, science—were produced by people with substantial leisure time. A society that works less might actually produce more of lasting value.
Relevance Today
Russell's essay has gained new relevance in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. As machines become capable of doing more work, we face the same choice Russell identified: distribute the benefits through reduced working hours, or concentrate wealth while keeping most people busy with make-work jobs.
The essay also speaks to contemporary discussions of work-life balance, burnout, and the "hustle culture" that glorifies constant productivity. Russell's argument that work is not inherently virtuous challenges the moral framework many use to judge themselves and others.
Read the full text: Harper's Magazine Archive