Americans have absorbed the Protestant work ethic: the idea that our value as human beings – and our eventual salvation – is determined by how hard we work. Political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains how this evolved, why it pervades everything, and why it’s no longer serving us.
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This episode originally aired in January of 2024.
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Elizabeth Anderson, professor of public philosophy at the University of Michigan.
00:00 Intro
04:21 Why the Protestant work ethic still controls us
12:32 Why do treat wealth as a virtue and poverty as a vice
23:51 When making money becomes the point of life
30:40 Why can’t we have a better work-life balance?
32:35 How workers can reclaim their freedom
36:27 How to build support for a progressive work ethic
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