The Abolition of Work
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The Abolition of Work is an essay written by Bob Black in 1985. The essay was part of an anthology of essays entitled The Abolition of Work and Other Essays, published by Loompanics Unlimited, Port Townsend, Washington, United States (ISBN 0-915179-41-5). The thesis draws upon work by Marshall Sahlins and Richard Borshay Lee.
The essay, which may be freely reproduced, claimed that no one should ever work, because this is the source of misery in the world. Black suggests not only ending employment discrimination but ending employment per se. He later explains that his definitions of work, and states that work ought to be turned into play, discarding notions of a "job" and an "occupation."
Black, a non-marxist, takes a swipe at Karl Marx in the final line: "Workers of the world...relax."
