Distinguishes between work for money (productive labour) and work for pleasure or to release the creative spirit (living labour), and reveals a new layer of potency to the sociology and philosophy of labour
In Labor of Fire, Bruno Gulli offers a timely and much-needed re-examination of the concept of labour. Distinguishing between "productive labour (working for money or subsistence)" and "living labour (working for artistic creation)," Gulli convincingly argues for a definition of work - and a definition of leisure that is not subsumed by work - which realizes the significant importance of artistic and social creativity that belongs at the centre of our definition of labour and the self.
Gulli first lays the groundwork for his book by offering a critique of productive labour. Next, Gulli maps out his productive/living labour distinction in detail, reviewing the work of Marx and others. Gulli then examines, through the work of other social and philosophical critics of labour, how productive labour has been institutionalised and how the nature of labour can be liberated from a purely productive definition.
"My sense is that Gulli's work will renew once again the Marxist tradition. It is a very philosophical approach to Marx that is nonetheless centred on the concept of labour and its power of social transformation." Michael Hardt, Duke University
In Labor of Fire, Bruno Gulli offers a timely and much-needed re-examination of the concept of labour. Distinguishing between "productive labour (working for money or subsistence)" and "living labour (working for artistic creation)," Gulli convincingly argues for a definition of work - and a definition of leisure that is not subsumed by work - which realizes the significant importance of artistic and social creativity that belongs at the centre of our definition of labour and the self.
Gulli first lays the groundwork for his book by offering a critique of productive labour. Next, Gulli maps out his productive/living labour distinction in detail, reviewing the work of Marx and others. Gulli then examines, through the work of other social and philosophical critics of labour, how productive labour has been institutionalised and how the nature of labour can be liberated from a purely productive definition.
"My sense is that Gulli's work will renew once again the Marxist tradition. It is a very philosophical approach to Marx that is nonetheless centred on the concept of labour and its power of social transformation." Michael Hardt, Duke University