Leisure the basis of culture
by Josef Pieper
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short philosophical essay arguing that leisure, not work for its own sake, is the root of culture. Suits readers tired of the cult of busyness and success who want to rethink work, rest, and liberal education.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…than how much money we're losing by doing it. There is also a pretty robust history of academic literature arguing that culture, art, religion, and pretty much everything else arises from leisure time. Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Pieper is a good read on this.
on “Trading Time for Money” ↗There is a good book on the concept of Leisure by Josef Pieper called Leisure: The Basis of Culture
on “What Is a Philosopher?” ↗Along the same lines, I would recommend Pieper's Leisure, The Basis Of Culture. It's somewhat a religious work, but for the most part is broadly applicable.
on “How did we get so busy?” ↗…in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work." Bertrand Russell - "In Praise of Idleness" - http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html "Leisure: The Basis Of Culture" by Josef Pieper also seems on topic, I'm planning to read it myself - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/767958.Leisure References are from comments on here yesterday - "How did we get so busy?" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7769610…
on “How I Feel as Young Father Involved in Early-stage Startup” ↗I'd recommend the book "Leisure the Basis of Culture" which covers this sentiment in great detail. https://www.amazon.com/Leisure-Basis-Culture-Josef-Pieper/dp...
on “Valve – Handbook for New Employees (2012) [pdf]” ↗Never thought I'd see Pieper referenced on HN. Great point and reference. For everyone else, Leisure the basis of culture is worth reading and relevant here. But finding a realistic economic system where the benefits of automation don't just benefit the top x% and lead to a morlocks and Eloi society is HARD!
on “Programming won’t be automated, or it already has been” ↗Your comment reminds me of a little gem of a book, Leisure The Basis of Culture by philosopher Josef Pieper. > The act of worship creates a store of real wealth that cannot be consumed by the workaday world. It sets up an area where calculation is thrown to the winds and goods are…
on “I keep making things out of checkboxes” ↗…deliberation: they fill in the informational gaps we often experience when making decisions. In other words, habits of mind help us to save brain power for more difficult tasks. Joseph Pieper's classic "Leisure, the Basis of Culture" sets out this theory well. In the 1980s, people thought we could create expert systems by interviewing experts like brain surgeons or oil exploration specialists, and creating a rule chaining prolog…
on “How to Be an Expert in a Changing World” ↗See also: "Leisure, the Basis of Culture" by Josef Pieper. A bit longer essay, but full of gems.
on “What Work is Really For” ↗Society and Money: Debt the first 5000 years by David Graeber Society and structure: Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper Business: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore Life: The Gospel of Matthew
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…We persist in the same pathological condition. Truncate work in the absence of leisure and that space will be filled with either some other work or more recreation. (N.b. I recommend Josef Pieper's "Leisure: The Basis of Culture"[3] if you want to understand what leisure is and how it differs from recreation.) [0] https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=culture [1] https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=cult [2] https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=cult…
on “Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?” ↗Josef Pieper has written a couple of books ("Leisure: the Basis of Culture" and "Happiness and Contemplation") about solitude and contemplation that are worth a look.
on “On Solitude” ↗For anyone interested, the article overlaps quite a bit with the ideas of the German philosopher Josef Pieper. His book 'Leisure: The Basis of Culture' is a fairly short read and can really shift your perspective if you're growing tired and bored with the cult of success. I don't know much about this author but it's clear she is well acquainted with…
on “Countering the achievement society (2018)” ↗Next time consider an inn-to-inn bicycle tour. There are companies that offer tours just for women. I would also recommend Josef Pieper's Leisure: The Basis of Culture. He is (well, was) a Catholic philosopher who can help you develop an understanding of what work and leisure are really about.
on “I Signed Up for a 4 Day Women’s Retreat” ↗Josef Pieper's "Leisure, the basis of culture" [1] comes to mind. Nothing we seemingly can do too easily, at least I can't so that's why I regularly try to re-read it. [1] https://archive.org/details/leisurebasisofcu0000piep
on “The Right to Be Lazy” ↗