Thursday 29 September 2011

Labour and Work: 4/6

This post is around Labour and Work and how different they are, what they mean to me and how my activity relates to them.
Labour is the activity which corresponds to the biological process of the human body (Arendt, 1958).
My understanding of Labour is an activity that is essential to human survival.
Work is the activity which corresponds to the unnaturalness of human existence (Arendt, 1958).
My understanding of work is an activity that is chosen by the individual and not essential to survive.



Labour comes under Maslow's Biological and Physiological needs as displayed below:



Image retrieved 29/09/11 from: http://sockbook.referata.com/w/images/MaslowsHierarchy.jpg

Monopoly deal comes under the category of work. It is a game that is not essential for me to survive and is something that I choose to do.
I could look at it from the perspective of I play monopoly deal at work to teach my client new skills and at work I earn money and without money I wouldn't be able to afford specific things I need to survive e.g food and rent for shelter. I choose to that certain activity when I work to teach therefore monopoly deal comes under the category of work not labour.

In the tutorial Hilary asked us to think about what would happen if our kind of work or labour was taken away from us:
In terms of affordances I would lose:
Communication: Social interaction between both my client I work with and also those of friends and family members I play with.
Connection: I use monopoly deal to connect with Sammi* and to teach her her skills. I connect with both family and friends by bringing us together after a long day to play.
Memories: The opportunity to create new memories and I may also forget how to play over time.



References:


Arendt, H. (1958). The human condition. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Hayley,

    It was interesting to read about your comments around what would happen if your work was taken away from you. It helped me understand that within the component of work there are various affordances that bring out different opportunities. Have you thought about the ethics that come with this activity of monopoly? e.g. burdens, joy (Good and Bad).

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