Analyzing Idleness further... (Entry 4 by Oliver)

It was with pleasure that I signed into this blog this afternoon, with my intentions for posting already premeditated, and read Andres 2nd post so far. It seems that contemplation upon the issue of idleness, and more fundamentally its perceived vice-like qualities within the moral status-quo of our modern society, has drawn him to comment on the possible role that the modern capitalist society may well have played in shaping its plight.

Furthermore, it was with even greater pleasure that I read his post further and noticed that he had highlighted Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism as a useful reference. I believe that this work, and similarly (but at certain junctures disagreeably) the work of Karl Marx, can offer us great insight into beginning to ascertain the true qualities of idleness. Indeed, as Weber's project so importantly also intended, to understand the present day qualities of idleness as a possible virtue it is important to first highlight its cultural and historical roots that have led us to today's general consensus that it is indeed ridden with vice-like implications.

Andres, fortunately, has relieved me of the duty of giving an introduction to The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, and I can therefore move forward and continue with analyzing any possible light this may shed on this cloudy issue. I really think that in highlighting modern capitalism as a possible source of influence concerning commonsense notions of idleness we are moving closer to being able to successfully gain insight into idleness as a possible virtue. The ascetic protestant influence that Weber highlighted as shaping our moral opinions considering labour and the subsequent coalescence with modern capitalist structure may no longer be so readily identifiable, but I believe it still saturates our Western moral conscience as much as it did in the 17th century. True, as a society we do indeed have more opportunity to enjoy the fruits of our labour than the Calvinists did, but the sentiment remains the same. The religious justifications for working hard may have somewhat evaporated but the social justifications have not. If we are idle and we do not rise early, labour usefully and contribute to the system appropriately we are of lesser use to the modern capitalist system than those who are not idle. As Benjamin Franklin wrote “Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease", and it is no coincidence that the modern capitalist system that he so influentially contributed in laying the foundations for, as moralist and polymath, is steadfast and agreed upon so many of his principles. These capitalist values - that it is our duty as men to work hard, refrain from the vice of idleness and accumulate capital - are so indelibly saturated throughout our 21st century culture that is of no surprise that idleness is perceived with such condemnation. We are born into a society where idleness is so counterproductive to its ultimate interests that it needs to be cast under a bad light. For modern capitalist society to collective look favourably upon idleness, and to cast it as a virtue, would be to cut its own throat.