What do we want from our life and our work? In In October 2023, I participated in a debate at my college, Western Carolina University, about whether gender-affirming care for minors should be banned. When it was my turn, I mostly stuck to the facts. I cited medical organizations, doctors, and meta-analyses. Even though we were talking about the same conclusion, my teacher, Dr. Sean Mulholland, took a different approach. The first words out of his mouth were, fittingly for an economist, Adam Smith. But, perhaps surprising to some, according to Smith The theory of moral sentimentswork of moral philosophy, “Man naturally desires not only to be loved, but to be charming. »
One aspect of Smith that I find commendable is the way his thinking applies to an infinite number of situations. Dr. Mulholland emphasized self-expression and individualism by affirming a person’s gender identity as a Smithian idea. Listening Brent Orrell on The great antidote podcast with Juliette Sellgren, I noticed a similar idea applied to work.
Orrell and Sellgren discuss the importance of finding intrinsic value in one’s work, and how to do so in a fast-paced economy experiencing demographic and technological change. Orrell emphasizes that young people’s ambitions should not be dismissed solely for financial reasons. Orrell wants to help young people answer what he calls “the drunk uncle question.”
That’s the question you ask yourself around the Thanksgiving table when your uncle asks what you’re studying. If it’s not a technical field like IT, his follow-up question will be, “Well, what are you going to do with that?” » As if this is some sort of upside-down question, as if you can’t directly connect your interests to an economic outcome, somehow they’re not worth it.
Orrell believes this attitude harms the prospects of the younger generation of Americans. He wants them to find work that is fulfilling and beneficial to society. In a Speaking of Smith message titled, Vocation: a cure for burn-out Orrell and David Veldran argue that we should welcome creative destruction through technological progress precisely because these transitions are intended to be more professional and less monotonous. The key to a productive distribution of labor is allowing workers to find jobs that stimulate their creativity: “(These jobs) tend to be more fulfilling, more energizing, and more compatible with our desire for dignity at work. » Paychecks and purpose go hand in hand for Orrell.
This may seem like an inconsequential concern, but Orrell highlights how refusing to satisfy the innate human need to be understood undermines one’s individuality and sends the message that one is not. worthy understanding in the first place. This can lead individuals to choose work that is not suitable for them and harm the division of labor due to incorrect specialization. The economy is deprived of highly productive professors of English literature or anthropologists, in favor of mediocre computer scientists.
In other Speaking of Smith job, Beyond being beautiful, Shal Marriot expresses Smith’s quote as “the desire to be understood and to be worthy of that understanding.” To me, Orrell’s problem with “the drunken uncle question” and the pervasive view of work as distinct from self-actualization reflect this.
Disrespect for human dignity is harmful to all but a very small number of successful rent-seekers. Orrell understands this and knows that there is nothing effective in disregarding human dignity. Orrell sees a world where the fundamental value of work is the recognition of humanity.
Orrell’s advice and recommendations for the future of work are valuable and relevant to an evolving and progressing American economy. But it’s harder to apply these ideas to those who don’t have an appropriate level of socioeconomic privilege. Yes, America is the most economically successful nation in the world, and encouraging those who have the means to pursue what they love is beneficial to us all. But poverty remains real and limited. The same goes for systemic discrimination against marginalized people, especially non-white and LGBTQIA+ people. We must ensure that the luxury of pursuing personal ambitions is not reserved only for white people and the wealthy.
It’s not permanent. The great enrichment is about hundreds of millions of people striving to thrive instead of just surviving. As Orrell says in his article: “The common foundation of human dignity“, “American history in particular is one of a progressive expansion of principles and laws that protect the dignity and rights of the person. » This expansion of the principles of individuality, mutual respect and a willingness to understand is crucial not only for economic growth in an innovative and changing economy, but is also a necessary element for social progress and the realization of the American vision.
Kevin Lavery is a junior at Western Carolina University where he studies economic analysis and political science and was a 2023 Summer Fellow at the Liberty Fund.
