"Why do people fight for their exploitation as if it was
liberation?" How Marx and Spinoza can explain our attachment to
work, and what we can do about it
In a world of
declining wages, working conditions, and instability, the response
for many has been to work harder, increasing hours and finding
various ways to hustle in a gig economy. What drives our attachment
to work? To paraphrase a question from Spinoza, "Why do people
fight for their exploitation as if it was liberation?"
The Double Shift
turns towards the intersection of Marx and Spinoza in order to
examine the nature of our affective, ideological, and strategic
attachment to work. Through an examination of contemporary capitalism
and popular culture it argues that the current moment can be defined
as one of "negative solidarity."
The hardship and
difficulty of work is seen not as the basis for alienation and calls
for its transformation but rather an identification with the
difficulties and hardships of work. This distortion of the work ethic
leads to a celebration of capitalists as job creators and suspicion
towards anyone who is not seen as a "real worker."
The book is grounded
in philosophy, specifically Marx and Spinoza, and is in dialogue with
Plato, Smith, Hegel, and Arendt, but, at the same time, in examining
contemporary ideologies and ideas about work it discusses
motivational meetings at Apple Stores, the culture of Silicon Valley,
and films and television from Office Space to Better Call Saul
The Double Shift
argues for a transformation of our collective imagination and
attachment to work.
