Work and Human Dignity: Toward a Critical Analysis in Legal Philosophy

Mohamed Ali Abdelwahed ()
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Mohamed Ali Abdelwahed: CEPN - Centre d'Economie de l'Université Paris Nord - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord

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Abstract: This study begins from an observation that is both simple and unsettling: the relationship between work and the dignity of the human person is not naturally harmonious, but structurally conflictual. From a Marxian perspective, work and dignity appear fundamentally incompatible within a capitalist system that privileges the imperative of productivity gains while increasing the burden of alienation. In modern attempts to "humanize" capitalism, the contraction of work-together with a long-term reduction in working time-has been accompanied by a striking expansion of human rights. Yet paradoxically, this investment in rights (with human dignity at the forefront) may be read as the logical outcome of the current cycle of labor scarcity. While "dignity" lends itself to countless philosophical speculations, it remains resistant to legal systematization and is therefore exposed to recurrent criticism. We argue that the antagonism between work and dignity should be dialectically resolved-in concreto-through the notion of vulnerability.

Keywords: liberties; vulnerability; police power; Marxism; dignity; Work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-10-01
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05511137v1
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Published in Entrepreneuriat et développement durable: "La société entrepreneuriale" à l'épreuve de la crise sanitaire, Sep 2021, Montpellier, France. 2021

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