ABSTRACT
The world of work is undergoing a period of redefinition, impacting not only its spaces, methods, and rhythms but also its organization and integration into human life. Taken collectively, these transformations are fueling a crisis in the meaning of work, which can be interpreted in terms of a disconnect between individual and social expectations regarding work. This disjunction can be seen as a byproduct of the failure of modern utopian thought, which aimed to address both dimensions together. However, it can also be viewed more broadly as a crisis of hope and reframed in theological terms. Indeed, the collapse of the hope that utopian thought placed upon work does not amount to the collapse of theological hope. Nonetheless, understanding the precise relationship between theological hope and labor warrants further examination. In this contribution, I explore how the modern reflection on work sheds light on the manifold ways in which work articulates the internal dynamics of the secular world. By doing so, I indirectly show how work demands a transcendent source of meaning, from which we can infuse a new spirit into the issue of development.
