What happens when the work that makes us most human—caring, listening, connecting—is increasingly outsourced, automated, or pushed to the margins? As AI enters every aspect of our lives, it’s ever more imperative to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?”

Sociologist Allison Pugh has been thinking deeply about that question. In her new book The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, she explores the overlooked emotional labor of roles like teachers, nurses, and social workers—and why these forms of connection are essential not just to our economy, but to our collective humanity.

In this conversation, we unpack the invisible scaffolding that keeps our care systems running, why “connection” work is under threat, and what we lose when efficiency becomes more valuable than empathy. Whether you’re managing a team, raising kids, or just trying to be more present in your relationships, Allison’s insights will challenge how you think about the work of being human.

Show notes and links: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-47-the-last-human-jobs-with