ABSTRACT
The Greek ideal of schole, meaning leisure or contemplation, was enjoyed by an elite, while the work of the majority was defined only in terms of the minority ideal, and as a means to that end for society as a whole. The semantics of ascholia (work) show a dialectic philosophy; work being the means to the end, leisure, for the Greek nation. For the slaves, however, ascholia was an end in itself. But even at that time the citizens could see a stage when a large proportion of the population would have time free from the necessity to work. Aristotle predicted that 'the only one condition in which we can imagine managers not needing subordinates . . . would be that each instrument could do its own work, at the word of command or by intelligent anticipation like the Statues of Daedalus . . .' . 1 This must be one of his more accurate statements about the future. In every society there has always been what could be described as a leisured elite. By definition, this group was dependent on the work of others for their survival; they could be called the parasites in society.
