Idleness – A Philosophical Essay

Many years ago I read Bertrand Russell's essay In Praise of Idleness, and in the first paragraph (you can Google the PDF) he sets out his proposition that far too much work is done in the world and that immense harm is done by arguing that work is virtuous. He goes on to make the case for a four-hour day, putting the onus on culture to create interesting pursuits to fill the rest of the day – Keynes had a similar vision around the same time, but this has not (yet) materialised. This book sets out to challenge the modern portrayal of inactivity, proposing that idle aimlessness 'may instead allow for the highest form of freedom' and is in fact a rebellious position with respect to society as a whole. He discusses the relationship between idleness, laziness, leisure, play and hedonism, devoting the bulk of the book to a historical consideration of various philosophers who have written about subject including Kant, Schlegel, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Schiller, Marx, Marcuse and Robert Louis Stevenson. He questions work as the sole source of virtue and worthiness in a world where being busy is well regarded. He follows Stevenson in arguing that idleness does not consist in doing nothing, and that the issue is what counts as meaningful activity. Here being can perhaps be prioritised over doing, although this is not an argument advanced by the author, who focuses more especially on autonomy. We each have to strike a balance in defining and living a good life.