A Dialectical Approach to the Future of Work Narrative
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Work and totality: A dialectical approach to the future of work narrative by Duane Fontaine M.A., Simon Fraser University, 2005 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Under Individualized Interdisciplinary Studies with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Department of Humanities Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Duane Fontaine 2021 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2021 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Declaration of Committee Name: Duane Fontaine Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Thesis title: Work and totality: A dialectical approach to the future of work narrative Chair: Gary McCarron Committee: Associate Professor, Communication Samir Gandesha Supervisor Associate Professor, Humanities Stephen Duguid Committee Member Professor Emeritus, Humanities Geoffrey Poitras Committee Member Professor, Beedie School of Business Marjorie Griffin Cohen Examiner Professor Emeritus, Political Science and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Douglas Moggach External Examiner Emeritus Professor, Political Studies University of Ottawa ii Abstract Our current confluence of global crises points to the very real possibility of systems collapse. These crises will continue to accelerate under capitalism due to its inherent structural contradictions. Capitalism’s profit motive creates its insatiable need for perpetual growth, a growth only achieved through the exploitation of man and nature. Radical systems change is therefore required and only a collective agent can affect this change. While the working class has so far failed to live up to its potential as that collective agent, the human drive to work—to contribute to society and to express itself creatively—will continue to play a primary role in bringing about the required change. Drawing from the philosophical tradition of German Idealism and its progenitors, this thesis positions the future of work in a way that breaks with the current alienated and reified experience of capitalist labour and replaces it with a vision of work that is autonomous, democratic, and part of a collective praxis. It draws upon the thinking of G.W.F. Hegel to show the mediating role that work plays in both subjective recognition and the progress of consciousness. It also draws upon insights from Friedrich Schiller, Herbert Marcuse and Karl Marx to show how work is key to our very being—a form of being that expresses its essence through work. This thesis contrasts labour under capitalism with a normative, post- capitalist vision of work. In doing so it utilizes the critical insights of Georg Lukács and his interlocutors Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Lukács’ concept of reification and his bourgeois antimonies, as well as Adorno’s and Horkheimer’s critique of the positivist worldview and instrumental reason are also brought to bear. Finally, Adorno’s negative dialectics and his associated constellation approach are used in a combined methodological approach that examines key policy alternatives related to the future of work. Each policy option is judged upon its relative merits in terms of its ability to negate and replace the structural causes of our current state of crises. In doing so, this thesis presents a novel analytical tool for policy assessment. Keywords: critical theory; negative dialectics; future of work; work and totality; praxis; post- capitalism iii Acknowledgements The journey to complete this thesis has been a long and challenging one and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge those who were instrumental along the way in bringing this project to its completion. First, I thank my committee, Dr. Stephen Duguid, Dr. Geoff Poitras and my senior supervisor Dr. Samir Gandesha. This thesis would have been impossible without their guidance and training over the years. Also, their patience with my sometimes indecisiveness and changes of both focus and scope went well above expectations. I also thank Dr. Mark Roseland who guided me in the beginning of my journey. His admonishments to always work towards the practical and the application of theory were retained throughout the course of my research and writing and ultimately informed my thinking on praxis. This thesis would also not have been possible without the intellectual and moral support of my friends and colleagues at both SFU’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program and the SFU Institute for the Humanities. A special acknowledgement to the following individuals is more than warranted for their moral support and intellectual agon: Kerstin Stuerzbacher, Eugenia Bertulis, Sandra Lockwood, Morgan Young, Stephanie Yu, Edward Graham, Andrew Czink, Maria Spiliotopoulou, Hilda Fernandez, David Byrnes, William Dow, Wayne Knights, Fran Moore, Judy Dale, Dennis Matheson, Natalie Mackie, Leo Eustler, and Don Schafer. A special acknowledgement is also warranted for the following professors and teachers who supported my journey along the way: Dr. Ian Angus, Dr. Michael G. Kenny, Dr. Gary McCarron, Dr. Jerry Zaslov, Dr. Sasha Colby, and John Dagevos. Special thanks to my editor Karen Taylor for her expertise and kind critique. Special thanks too to Dr. Douglas Moggach and Dr. Marjorie Griffin Cohen for their valuable feedback as my defence examiners. I thank my entire family for their long-suffering and emotional support during these past six years. Lastly, I acknowledge my partner Sharon Mackay. Without her love, support and patience this thesis would not have been possible. She sacrificed much to enable me to embark on and complete this journey. iv Table of Contents Declaration of Committee ................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 6 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 9 Structure ............................................................................................................................ 10 Current Status of Work and the Working Class ................................................................ 12 Precarious Labour ................................................................................................... 12 Automation ............................................................................................................. 23 Income Inequality ................................................................................................... 32 Universality of Change Agent .......................................................................................... 37 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 46 Chapter 2: Defining Labour and Work: The Subjective View .................................. 48 Labour According to Mainstream Economics .................................................................. 48 Work According to the German Idealist Tradition ........................................................... 67 Heterodox Views on Labour ............................................................................................. 94 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 110 Chapter 3: Labour and Life Under Capitalism: The Objective View ..................... 112 Georg Lukács: Reification and Class Consciousness ..................................................... 114 Dialectic of Enlightenment ............................................................................................. 137 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 158 Chapter 4: Towards a Post-Capitalist World of Work ............................................. 160 Criteria ............................................................................................................................ 160 Policy Analysis ............................................................................................................... 166 Basic Income Schemes ......................................................................................... 166 Job Guarantee ....................................................................................................... 183 Reduced Working Hours ...................................................................................... 199 Worker Co-operatives ........................................................................................... 210 Chapter 5: Conclusion .................................................................................................