ABSTRACT
The ‘work-society’ that has existed in Britain and comparable countries for the last two centuries is now in crisis: in Ralf Dahrendorf’s words, following Hannah Arendt, ‘the work-society is running out of work’ (Dahrendorf, 1982: 182). With thirty per cent of the British working population now economically inactive, the future of work, its place in personal fulfilment and its distribution are bound to be key issues in general politics and in educational policy well into the next century. Backing practical proposals there needs to be a well thought-out theoretical rationale of a philosophical rather than an empirical kind. What is work? Just how important is it to our well-being? Is it a basic human need? What consequences might answers to these questions have for education?
