Human Beings Are the Only Animals with an Existential Need for Work.
- Submitted by: reggiecui
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- Category: Politics: Economics
- Date Submitted: 08/20/2011 09:17 AM
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Work is unavoidable feature of our daily lives for almost of human beings. Immanuel Kant claims that humans are the only animals with an existential need for work (Svendsen, 2008). The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines that work is “expenditure of energy, striving, application of effort or exertion to a purpose”. Without work, human beings would simply be bored to death because work provides human’s lives with content. And then, work can be meaningful. The need for meaning is a fundamental human need. In addition, work provides human beings with a sense of self-realization. Human beings can recognize themselves in the world that they have created.
Firstly, work provides human’s lives with content. Not only is it generally good for human’s physical and mental health, but life without work would probably fill human beings with despair. Immanuel Kant argues that entertainment cannot fill human’s lives with content in the long run. People fill their life only with entertainment will feel increasingly lifeless (Svendsen, 2008). Human beings expend their energy, striving, or application of effort to achieve a purpose and satisfy their personal needs by work. People do a sport or physical activity for entertainment only can fill this function in the short period. However, work can enrich lives with content in the long run and provide an existential need for human beings.
Secondly, work can be meaningful. The need for meaning is a fundamental human need and work is one of the primary sources of such meaning. Thus, some work has a great potential for meaning and strong impact on human’s lives. For example, according to BBC news article (2009), consist of convicted offenders serving community sentences called community payback teams. The offenders clean the street and plant trees in the city. This is worthwhile work which will benefit everyone who visits, works or lives in the area and provide meaningful work experience for those serving community sentences....
Firstly, work provides human’s lives with content. Not only is it generally good for human’s physical and mental health, but life without work would probably fill human beings with despair. Immanuel Kant argues that entertainment cannot fill human’s lives with content in the long run. People fill their life only with entertainment will feel increasingly lifeless (Svendsen, 2008). Human beings expend their energy, striving, or application of effort to achieve a purpose and satisfy their personal needs by work. People do a sport or physical activity for entertainment only can fill this function in the short period. However, work can enrich lives with content in the long run and provide an existential need for human beings.
Secondly, work can be meaningful. The need for meaning is a fundamental human need and work is one of the primary sources of such meaning. Thus, some work has a great potential for meaning and strong impact on human’s lives. For example, according to BBC news article (2009), consist of convicted offenders serving community sentences called community payback teams. The offenders clean the street and plant trees in the city. This is worthwhile work which will benefit everyone who visits, works or lives in the area and provide meaningful work experience for those serving community sentences....