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What will the future of “work” look like? What part does work play in our psychological well being? What constitutes meaningful work? These are some of the questions the Camden Philosophical Society will address on Oct. 15, at the third session in a series of discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The group discussed generative AI in August and September, focusing on the technology itself, the ethics and the philosophical quandaries this new technology raises.
The October session will highlight the impacts on work. Each of the articles for this session puts forward a different view on this topic and, together, they encourage us to take a step back from the “technology” itself and instead explore our own concepts of work and its meaning in a rapidly changing technological society.
The Society’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, will, as usual, be a hybrid gathering from 3:30-5:30 pm EDT on the third Tuesday of the month. All are welcome to participate, in-person at the Picker Room of the Camden Public Library or by Zoom. That goes for visitors, as well as year-rounders in Maine, and friends of the society wherever you may be.
If you wish to participate via Zoom, please email sarahmiller@usa.net. You will receive a Zoom invitation on the morning of the meeting. Click on the “Join Zoom Meeting” link in that invitation at the time of the event.
We’ll start with the short Prologue by Hannah Arendt to The Human Condition (attached as a PDF). Arendt frames our discussion by questioning how the advancement of technology will impact our relationship to work and potentially to each other. Overall, she asks us to “think about what we are doing” as our world and the choices we must make become increasingly complex.
Our next reading takes a closer look at what makes work meaningful. You are invited to read the entire article or, for a shorter read, focus on the section entitled “The Five Qualities of Meaningful Work.” https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-makes-work-meaningful-or-meaningless/
The last reading, by John Danaher, explores the question of “Will Life Be Worth Living in a World Without Work?” (attached as a PDF entitled DANWLB). Is there a way to integrate technology into our lives that produces flourishing rather than floundering? Can we “partner” with AI to improve our lives? Or does technology only result in less time to flourish? As Danaher states: “The death of the regular 9-to-5 workday has, if anything, encouraged work to monopolise more of our time.” If we want more “free” time, can AI help us get there and, once there, is this what we really want?
Click on the link below to download the readings.