THE NEXT STEP PODCAST

The Problem of Labor and Leisure

07.27.2011 - By The Next StepPlay

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I've always thought leisure to be a cross between rest and play. . .but as you'll hear from Dr. Mortimer Adler today, leisure is quite distinct from both rest and play in many ways.

He begins by distinguishing leisure from the others and then continues on to discuss the problems of labor in an industrial society, primarily that increased production becomes the sole purpose of labor rather than the pursuit of true leisure. He then explains how the emphasis on production is at the expense of not only leisurely activity, but also a truly liberal education for all. His talk concludes with remarks on the loss of liberal education and the uses for it.

Just what does a liberal education consist of? Well, as Adler points out, one would need many books to get at the answer, but in the next episode of the Next Step, I will be featuring a presentation I composed which introduces the modern 21st Century audience to the potential of liberal education for today's world.

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Music:

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

Same as it ever was.

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