Man as Homo Faber

Philosophical Implication of Human

Labor

Context There are many social issues plaguing our country even today. Many of which are economic in nature: • the numerous strikes of workers

against management;• the increasing rate of

unemployment with the accompanying growing demand for higher wages; • the dichotomy between

the so-called white-collared jobs and blue-collared jobs and the predominant attitude of looking down upon the latter;

Context • the industrialization gap between the rural and urban

sectors, resulting in the migration of workers to the cities; • and the ethical dilemma of

the lagay and pakikisama system that goes with the bureaucracy of large institutions.

• Overshadowing these issues is still the conflict of ideologies:

capitalism versus communism, individualism versus collectivism, and the problem of objectification, depersonalization or functionalization of the

worker in a highly technological industrial set-up.

• It would be easier to tackle these social issues separately and propose an appropriate solution, but that might not solve the problems at their root.

• Basically, these problems do not only cover the economic realm but transcend beyond it.

They manifest one apparent human reality: WORK- What is work? - Is it only economic in character?- What is the root of the issues concerning work?

The problems about work or human labor are maybe problems of discrepancy between what is work ought to be and what in fact is happening in the society today.

To seek for the solution would be vain unless we inquire into the very root of the reality of human work.

In other words, to realize a better understanding of these problems and find solution for them is to seek first the philosophical foundation of human labor.

This is possible only when we realize the dignity of human labor.There are many different notions about work just as there are many different phases of civilization throughout history.

It would be best to trace these notions of work and find their philosophical implications especially on how man views himself in relation to nature.

In that way we shall understand how work finds its root in the inner reality human life and how does it manifest man’s humanity

Historical Valuations

of Work

Prehistoric eraLiving an undifferentiated world, wherein everything including human realities is thought to be under control of the hidden forces of nature or gods, primitive man hunts and gathers food to keep himself alive. It seems, however, that primitive man knows no specific value for work

More than mere security and survival, man works in order to offer sacrifice to the gods. It seems, however, that primitive man knows no specific value for work. More than mere security and survival, man works in order to offer sacrifice to the gods.

For primitive man, work is not to change and manipulate the world but to appease the gods through ritual and magic.

How the primitive must have viewed work has an obvious implication of how he views himself.

He is a part of nature and hence is not exempted in the control

of nature’s hidden forces.

He sees no value of himself

outside the tribe he

belongs to and the

gods that the tribe

worships.

Ancient Civilization (Greek)

Greeks thought about work as something profane and fitting only for the slaves and the animals.

The ideal activity is to philosophize, to exercise reason in order to grasp the underlying reality about nature and humanity.Work (that is, physical labor) is not supposed to disrupt the order of nature but to harmonize with it.

Reason distinguishes man from others beings like animals and plants.This implies that man’s realization of himself as a rational being is realized not in the activity of the profane but in the activity of reason.

Medieval Ages• The predominance of Christianity influenced how

people view work.• Work is no longer looked down upon but is seen as

an imitation of God’s activity. God creates everything, and it is proper to every person to participate in the creative activity of God.

Medieval Ages• Nevertheless, it is maintained that work is not only

a manifestation of man’s holiness and also of man’s falling into sin. Adam’s failure to follow God’s command bears a painful consequence that he has to toil for all the days of his life in order to survive.

Here, man’s realization of himself is the recognition that he is created in the image and likeness of God. This is specifically evident in man’s rational and spiritual soul.Hence, it follows that his activities must be aimed at enriching his spirit rather than merely satisfying his bodily needs.

Such is the reason why work must be viewed in the light of man’s satisfaction of his spiritual needs as a concrete realization of himself.This is explicated in the monks’ motto: orare est laborare (to work is to pray)

Modern Period• The emergence of large industries and machineries in the modern period gave a new valuation of work. This is brought about by the individualistic and materialistic spirit of the time and the rise of natural sciences.

• With his scientific knowledge, man is now able to manipulate nature, milking it at his own disposal.

• Work becomes profit-oriented.

• Insatiable wants drive other people (the capitalists) to produce massively and make large profit out of it even at the expense of other people’s dignity and life.

Modern Period• Modern man regards himself as the controller of

nature. His humanity does not lie in harmonizing but rather in surpassing himself over nature making it vow to him.

• There is no other value in work for man than becoming his means to realize himself as master of the world and himself.

Karl Marx’s Philosophy of WorkOne of the world’s greatest economist and philosopher of work.

In the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Karl Marx discussed the intimate relationship between man and nature achieved because of work.

Work is central to the humanist Marx because for him it is through work that man becomes man, and nature becomes nature for man.

Human Labor and Animal LaborMarx contrasts human from animal labor.

Animals produce, but they only produce what is necessary for themselves and for their young to survive. As such their products belong directly to their physical needs. We can see that through their labor, animals become one with their life activity, and that they do not distinguish themselves from their own activities.

For example, a spider produces web not for any other purpose than to catch its prey. It does not go beyond its own activity. Hence, the spider is completely identified with its work. Such is the reason why whenever we see a web we always think about spider.

• Man, on the other hand, works universally. He does not only work out of his physical needs but also when free of such needs.

• And when he produces, he produces the whole of nature; he is not confined to his own species. He knows how to produces according to the standards of every species.

• He makes his life activity an object of his will and consciousness.

• Man’s activity, therefore, is a free activity. He can distinguish himself from his product, and he makes his product an expression of himself.

The development of labor is the development of production. Development of production is brought about by the innovation in the means of work which are the tools man used in his labor.

For example, before a tailor can weave only a minimal number of dresses in a day, but through machines he can produce hundreds of dresses in an hour.

The social dimension of human laborFor Marx, human labor is a process between man and nature. Man transforms the earth by work; but by changing nature, man also changes himself: he develops and empowers himself. The development of work is likewise the Development of man.

•Tools, however, are designed for a specific production only. Hence, the use of tools implies division of labor.

• In making a pie for example, there is no one tool that can produce a whole pie. Different tools are used; hence, different tool-users are necessary. This allows men to be interdependent with each other.

•Therefore, through labor, man becomes social.

•Moreover, according to Marx, work becomes the meeting place of people throughout history.

•Every generation finds at its disposal a means of work produced by the preceding generation and leaves behind certain means of production that will serve as the starting point for the future generation.

The value of labor• Consequently, for Marx, work is not simply a means to a goal outside; rather, work is an end in itself, a value in itself. It is not surprising, then, that Marx is against working for the sake of a wage and the capitalistic system that makes work and the worker a commodity in the market.

• Work cannot be simply reduced to a means to live. In fact, man lives in order to work, for work is the way for man to realize his true humanity.

The value of labor• His product becomes the embodiment of his humanity. Nature becomes humanized. Originally, it was not so, but labor puts human stamp to nature.

• For example, when man makes a chair, the chair which is part of nature becomes humanized. There is a human stamp in the chair.

• Through labor, man becomes man, and nature becomes nature for man.

• However, in order that his labor becomes a truly human activity, man must not only produce for himself. Human labor is intrinsically a social activity. Man cannot produce by himself and he owes his subsistence from others. Therefore, man must recognize that his product is not for him alone but also for others.

• Man works not only for himself but also for others.

• It is through this that labor becomes a way to achieve a truly humane and peaceful society.

Work and Man in the Technological Era The present age is technological. To some extent, technology has dominated man’s

thinking and behaviour; hence, it has aptly been called “technocracy”.

Ours is an age of machine and computers, of mass communication, video, print and telecommunication, of energized land, sea and air travel, etc.

Technology has no longer transformed nature; it has forced nature to reveal its secrets.

Thinking that nature is unformed and disorderly, man has interfered in it, creating an artificial world of machines and computers.

Rather than merely conforming to his surroundings, man has made the earth conform to him. He has, in a sense, created his own world of structures and institutions.

• Before, his natural needs determined production. Today, production creates demand and determines man’s needs.

• Much of what Marx says of work and man are true in the technological era: modern work is the mastery over nature, humanizing nature and realize man’s humanity.

• Work has become the decisive determinant of most aspects of human life. This makes work become very significant. However, there do exist the negative aspects of contemporary labor: the anonymous ties of urban life, the identification of the person with his function, the drudgery of repetitious specialized labor, the bureaucracy of institutions – in short, functionalization and depersonalization of the person.

• Man is no longer the master of work, but it is now work which becomes the master of man.

• It seems that work has come to assume a quasi-independent existence, threatening to swallow man.

• Indeed, insofar as man is embodied, he needs to provide for his physical beings in order to survive.

• However, man, a being who is more than a body, does not only need to fulfill physical but also spiritual needs.

• As an embodied spirit, he makes use of what he gains from nature for other higher purposes.

Besides productive labor, there is

something more to our earthly existence. It is

not enough to have food, clothing, and

shelter. We also seek for leisure or play, to be

with our friends and families, to simply take nature as it is and not as a means – in short, to be just ourselves.

The danger is to make everything of human existence work. To work is a way of realizing oneself but not the only way.

There is still leisure and culture. We must not separate work from leisure (fun) and culture (creativity). Otherwise, work would cease to be a human work.

Notwithstanding the many kinds

of work, the value of work

lies in the worker, the

dignity of man as an embodied

person, free, social, and one in the diversity

of his acts.