Hans Achterhuis

Work changed a lot since the 80's. Especially the central place of computer connected to 'the' internet changed the way are able to perform job-related tasks. Some say that these are positive developments. A lot of tasks do no longer need the physical precedence of the worker (high schooled in this case) at the work-space any more.

When I go to work those benefits are not always clear to me. Really, a lot of the people have panic in their eyes. Panic to catch the train on time, panic to show more finish their message, panic to get their tasks done. For myself, also feel this 'panic' too and work real hard not to join this constant state of anxiety.

My hypotheses is that this rushing state has a lot to do with our stance to work. For people in their late 20's early 30's work needs to be this 'holy' activity that fulfil. So, I picked up this book in the thrift shop and hoped I would learn more.

Subject of "Labour, a strange remedy"
(my translation)

In this book Achterhuis investigates the relation between labour and government (supported) care. He does this on the one hand by placing work in a Marxist-Weber analysis, that is a structural analysis, where the relation between the material and ideological aspects are illuminated. On the other hand he is also distancing him from these 'schools' by broadening the concept of labour with concepts from Hanna Arendt's Vita Activa.

The link between care and work is interesting, the last ten years the discussion in the Netherlands round work became less and less tolerant about people who have trouble working, with reductions made to your dole if you can't find work quick enough. Achterhuis is influenced by Foucault, he analysis government intervention to get people to work as means of control. In this process initiatives from the people are constantly absorbed by government caregivers who try to align the initiative with the statuesque.

On a theoretical level Achterhuis is good. Even the subjective character of the book is easily accepted, because he has no hidden agenda. He makes it clear that he is fighting for a world where government interference does not incorporate every initiative and where work is not meaningless (or at least the main possibility for meaning). It probably helps that I think this is an acceptable standpoint.

Escaping Labour

The book, being written in the 80s, still felt up to date. I found it scary to see that the suggestions Hans makes for a better work-life seem to be incorporated by business today. He suggests horizontal organization. Being a person looking for work, I encounter all kind of advertisement that talk about 'working in autonomous units'. Secondly, he speaks of working from values. Seeing how almost every company nowadays has a transcendental mission statement and is encouraging their personnel to reflect on their core values and how to realize these within the company. I got the feeling that the sentiment that Achterhuis is trying to express in this book is already incorporated by the businesses.

Good you would say? Problem here is that being autonomous and working from your core value in a company is mostly a bonus, if not just a lie. The fist rule of business is to stay in business. If that means you will get fired if the financial gain is obvious. If it means more money is to be made with lying, Volkswagen will lie about there 'ecological' achievements.

And now?

So, did I learn something from this book? I know I am not feeling less pessimistic than before. If my hypotheses has some truth, and people burn themselves up because work has this claim of supplying something it cannot give, than the first action will to be show some alternatives. In this context I liked Achterhuis' distinction between "self-help" and "work-owning".

Self-help is where the individual motivates him- or herself by whatever means. That people do use a lot of self-help to manage them self seems evident when you take a look at the self-help section of the bookshop. What are the main topics here? Yesterday it was, finding peace/calmness, living more effective and getting rich. Achterhuis dissociate himself from this kind of self-motivation, it keeps the cause in place.

Work-owning has more to do with creating work that feels important with other people. It made me think of the boom in small shops, stores and ecological farming projects at the start of this millennium. Ownership, is important in this story. To achieve this, Achterhuis states, government should give small companies more benefits (and not the other way around as presently).

I can go on and on about the benefits and trouble with this view, and do not think GoodReads is the place for that, but as a book it was good to see the relation between economical development and disciplining. And I hope that this inspiring mix of thinking that fluctuates between Marxism and liberalism finds a way (again) to the public debate. As for me, I am going to read a self-help book. :) show less

https://www.lemniscaat.nl/boeken/het-rijk-van-de-schaarste/ boekpagina

NOTA BENE this is a double for ID 51301469.
I'm aspiring librarian (pending considering motivation). I can not make the addition this title need.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51301469-het-rijk-van-de-schaarste
ISBN 13 on the copyright page is 978 90 477 875 9. This is clearly a mistake (leading zero before 875 is missing). But as it is published, people are searching for it and need to find it. The dust jacket has show more it right but doesn't always survive the book. There fore I think it is justified to create the double.
This 'revised' edition is not in the Library of Congres https://lccn.loc.gov/88174776 .

Nou, ik kocht het zondag 15 augustus 2021 bij Savannah Bay in de uitverkoop voor € 20,--. De paperback is nog beschikbaar voor € 39,99 show less

schaarste, moderniteit, naam Hobbes, naam Locke, naam Rousseau, naam Marx, naam Foucault,

Aan de heldere bespreking van ‘WillemFrederik’ (6/3/2011) is naar mijn mening niets toe te voegen.
Ik volsta met een aantal persoonlijke opmerkingen.
In de eerste plaats heeft dit boek mij tot (enige schaamtevolle) stilte en nederigheid gemaand. Het denken over economie krijgt met dit boek een dimensie die de pretenties van economische geschiedschrijving ver overtreft. Met name het utopische karakter van het neoliberale vrije-markt-denken heb ik altijd ervaren als een soort duiding die show more meer metaforisch van karakter is. Ook in John Cassidy’s -vorig jaar verschenen- “Wat als de markt faalt” wordt geschreven over utopische economie maar klinkt tussen de regels door toch enige ruimte voor vermenging en krijgt de meedogenloosheid van dat systeem misschien nog wat te weinig reliëf.
Overigens: beide boeken zijn volledige complementair met elkaar en vormen tezamen een schat aan inzichten.

Met “Niemandsland” van Marcel van Dam in de hand, concludeert ook Achterhuis dat we zonder het te beseffen het neoliberale gedachtegoed hebben omarmd: ‘...wat ik theoretisch heel goed wist maar in de praktijk niet door had, was dat elke ideologie zichzelf als onontkoombare en natuurlijke visie op de werkelijkheid presenteert. Daardoor blijft ze zelf goeddeels onzichtbaar. Zij is de bril die bijna iedereen draagt’. Een -mijns inziens- schokkende, doch juiste conclusie, maar wel even slikken !

Achterhuis heeft na “Met alle geweld” wederom een imponerende studie gepresenteerd. Een uitstekend ‘leerboek’ met een perfecte opbouw. Een boek ook om over te praten en veel na te denken. Dat het boek is uitgeroepen tot beste filosofieboek van 2010 verbaast mij niet. show less