Permanent record · RIR–2084
Arendtian Perspectives on Immaterial Labor and the Meaning of Work in Automated Societies
This research applies Hannah Arendt’s phenomenology to contemporary debates regarding automation and the future of work. It seeks to distinguish between labor, work, and action to address concerns about job meaningfulness.
How can Arendt’s conceptual distinction between labor, work, and action inform the design of meaningful work in an automated economy?
Knowledge gap
What remains worth asking
It remains useful to test whether Arendt’s critique of consumption can provide a practical framework for evaluating the societal impact of immaterial labor.
Potential contribution
Why it may matter
This study offers a philosophical foundation for rethinking organizational structures and labor policies in the age of automation.
Academic placement
OECD fields and topic tags
Scope: Organizational management and labor policy in highly automated sectors. · Method signals: Philosophical analysis, Conceptual modeling, Literature review
Possible study pathways
One question, different levels
Strategic management of human capital in automated environments.
Philosophical inquiry into the future of work and organizational ethics.
Qualification signal
76/100
- Focuses on theoretical application to management.
- Requires strong grounding in political philosophy.
- Open-access scholarly source and DOI metadata verified
Provenance
Research Idea Registry curation
- DOI and bibliographic metadata independently resolved
- Open-access status verified
- The research direction is transparently marked as AI-inferred
APA 7 source
Waelen, R. A. (2025). Rethinking Automation and the Future of Work with Hannah Arendt. Journal of Business Ethics, 201(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-025-05991-1
Paper abstract and discussion context; AI-inferred direction
Open source ↗