What do we want from our lives and work? In October 2023, I participated in a debate at my university, Western Carolina University, about whether gender-affirming care for minors should be banned. When it was my turn, I mostly stuck to the facts. I cited medical institutions, doctors, and meta-analyses. We were arguing towards the same conclusion, sir. Dr. Sean Mulholland, took a different approach. The first words out of his mouth, as befits an economist, were: adam smith. But perhaps surprisingly to some, in Smith's words: theory of moral sentimentsa work on moral philosophy: „Human beings naturally desire not only to be loved, but to be loved.''
One of the aspects I admire about Smith is how his ideas apply to infinite situations. Mulholland's Smithian approach emphasized self-expression and individualism by affirming one's gender identity.while listening Brent Orrell upon great antidote podcast When I spoke with Juliette Sellgren, I realized that similar ideas apply to her work.
Orel and Sellgren discuss the importance of finding the intrinsic value and value of one's work and how to find it in a volatile and shaky economy filled with demographic and technological change. Orel emphasizes that young people's ambitions should not be pushed aside just for economic gain. Orell wants to help young people answer what he calls „drunk old man questions.“
This is the question you get when your uncle asks you what you're studying around the Thanksgiving table. If it's not a technical field like computer science, his follow-up question will be, „So what are you going to do?“ It's as if it's some kind of knock-down question that if you can't directly link your interests to economic outcomes, then somehow they're not worth it.
Orell sees this attitude as damaging to the future of young Americans. He wants them to find jobs that are rewarding and beneficial to society.in Speaking of Smith Title post, Occupation: Burnout treatment Orel and David Verdran argue that we should welcome the disruption caused by technological advances. Because that's exactly where the work becomes more professional and monotonous. The key to a productive division of labor is to enable workers to find jobs that stimulate their creativity, and that „[these jobs]are more fulfilling, energizing, and provide dignity at work. They tend to be more compatible with what we want.'' For Orell, pay and purpose are closely related.
This may seem like a trivial concern, but how refusing to fulfill a person's innate need to be understood undermines their individuality and sends a message that they are not who they are. Orel points out that. valuable From the basic understanding. This can lead individuals to choose jobs that are not optimal for them or to undermine the division of labor through incorrect specialization. The economy is being deprived of highly productive English literature professors and anthropologists in exchange for substandard computer scientists.
somewhere else Speaking of Smith post, Beyond being nice, Char Marriott describes Smith's words as „the desire to be understood and to deserve that understanding.“ For me, the problem with Mr. Aurel's „drunk uncle question“ and the pervasive view of work as separate from self-actualization reflect this.
Disrespect for human dignity is harmful to all but a small number of successful rent-seekers. Orel understands this and knows that nothing is effective in ignoring human dignity. Mr. Orel sees a world where the core value of work is recognition of humanity.
Mr. Orrell's advice and prescriptions for the future of work are valuable and relevant in a changing and evolving American economy. However, it is more difficult to apply these ideas to people who do not have appropriate levels of socio-economic privilege. Yes, America is the most economically wealthy country in the world, and encouraging people with the means to pursue what they love is good for all of us. But poverty is still real and has its limits. So is systemic discrimination against marginalized people, especially non-white and LGBTQIA+ people. We need to be aware that the luxury of pursuing personal ambitions is not just for the white and wealthy.
This is not permanent. Great abundance includes hundreds of millions of people striving for self-actualization rather than just scrapping to survive. Mr. Aurel says in his article:Common foundations of human dignity„The American case in particular is one of a gradual expansion of principles and laws that protect the dignity and rights of individuals.'' Expanding the principles of individuality, mutual respect, and the will to understand is an innovative Not only is it critical to economic growth across a changing economy, but it is also a necessary element of social progress and the realization of America's vision.
Kevin Lavery is a student studying economic analysis and political science at Western Carolina University and was a Liberty Fund Summer 2023 Scholar.