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Bullshit jobs / David Graeber.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2019Edition: First Simon & Schuster trade paperback editionDescription: xxvii, 333 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781501143335
  • 1501143336
Subject(s):
Contents:
Preface: On the phenomenon of bullshit jobs -- What is a bullshit job? -- What sorts of bullshit jobs are there? -- Why do those in bullshit jobs regularly report themselves unhappy? -- What is it like to have a bullshit job? -- Why are bullshit jobs proliferating? -- Why do we as a society not object to the growth of pointless employment? -- What are the political effects of bullshit jobs, and is there anything that can be done about this situation?
Summary: "'Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world?' David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative online essay titled On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs. He defined a bullshit job as 'a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence, even though as part of the conditions of employment, the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case.' After a million views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. ... Graeber, in his singularly searing and illuminating style, identifies the five types of bullshit jobs and argues that when 1 percent of the population controls most of a society's wealth, they control what jobs are 'useful' and 'important.' ... Graeber illustrates how nurses, bus drivers, musicians, and landscape gardeners provide true value, and what it says about us as a society when we look down upon them. Using arguments from some of the most revered political thinkers, philosophers, and scientists of our time, Graeber articulates the societal and political consequences of these bullshit jobs. Depression, anxiety, and a warped sense of our values are all dire concerns. He provides a blueprint to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture, providing the meaning and satisfaction we all crave."--Publisher's description
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 331.7 G734 Checked out 05/02/2024 33111010896674
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt --"a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate" ( Slate )--a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs...and their consequences.

Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled "On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs." It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer.

There are hordes of people--HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers--whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs.

Graeber explores one of society's most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. "Clever and charismatic" ( The New Yorker ), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and "a thought-provoking examination of our working lives" ( Financial Times ).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-333).

Preface: On the phenomenon of bullshit jobs -- What is a bullshit job? -- What sorts of bullshit jobs are there? -- Why do those in bullshit jobs regularly report themselves unhappy? -- What is it like to have a bullshit job? -- Why are bullshit jobs proliferating? -- Why do we as a society not object to the growth of pointless employment? -- What are the political effects of bullshit jobs, and is there anything that can be done about this situation?

"'Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world?' David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative online essay titled On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs. He defined a bullshit job as 'a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence, even though as part of the conditions of employment, the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case.' After a million views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. ... Graeber, in his singularly searing and illuminating style, identifies the five types of bullshit jobs and argues that when 1 percent of the population controls most of a society's wealth, they control what jobs are 'useful' and 'important.' ... Graeber illustrates how nurses, bus drivers, musicians, and landscape gardeners provide true value, and what it says about us as a society when we look down upon them. Using arguments from some of the most revered political thinkers, philosophers, and scientists of our time, Graeber articulates the societal and political consequences of these bullshit jobs. Depression, anxiety, and a warped sense of our values are all dire concerns. He provides a blueprint to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture, providing the meaning and satisfaction we all crave."--Publisher's description

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