ABSTRACT
An economy in which most of the work is done by machines is not in our immediate future, but it is a real possibility within the lifetimes of children today. We should begin now the task of imagining how humans might spend their free time in a healthy way if and when such a future comes. What will people do if their lives are no longer structured by the requirements of traditional work? Part of imagining this future is considering what sort of education would be most appropriate for people living work-free lives. On this point we do not need to start from scratch: For thousands of years, a “liberal arts” education has been seen as precisely the right sort of education for those who do not need to work—not because their work was done by machines but because it was done by human servants. In a highly automated economy of the future, all or nearly all people will be, in one sense, like aristocrats, and can receive an education previously reserved for the elite. This chapter builds on ideas from Aristotle to examine what a liberal arts education is and why it is an excellent preparation for a fulfilling life in a work-free future.
