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The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism (Illuminations: Theory & Religion)
 
 

The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism (Illuminations: Theory & Religion) (Paperback)

by John Hughes (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 264 pages
  • Publisher: WileyBlackwell (1 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 140515893X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1405158930
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 493,624 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review

"Adam was expelled from the garden of Eden to till the ground in the sweat of his face, so the bible says, leaving us with centuries of theological argument about how to relate the reality for so many people of work as toil, drudgery and effectively a curse, to the equally familiar experience of work as creative achievement and personal fulfilment. Post–Christian we may now be in Britain, yet in a society still reeling from de–industrialization, with unemployment endemic in certain quarters, with leisure activities expanding vastly, and so on, there is a rich and complex Christian tradition of thinking about the nature of work which John Hughes puts back on the agenda in this provocative book." Fergus Kerr, University of Oxford

"John Hughes has written not about work but about the ′end′ of work. But this is the most far–reaching question imaginable in practical reason. To what end do we exert ourselves at all? What do we hope to achieve? Through a tour of reading in nineteenth and twentieth century thinkers that is as subtle and sympathetic as it is diverse and adventurous he has shown us how the ancient struggle between the fine and the useful has been played out dramatically in the post–industrial West, and holds the key to a great deal that we think of as modernity. Here is an exciting new voice contributing to the interpretation of our moral predicaments. I cannot imagine anyone putting Hughes’ book down without having learned something important." Oliver O′Donovan, University of Edinburgh

"Its strength lies in its illuminating discussions of a fairly wide range of writers."
Times Higher Education Supplement


Product Description

Surveys twentieth century theologies of work, contrasting differing approaches to consider the “problem of labor” from a theological perspective.

  • Aimed at theologians concerned with how Christianity might engage in social criticism, as well those who are interested in the connection between Marxist and Christian traditions
  • Explores debates about labor under capitalism and considers the relationship between divine and human work
  • Through a thorough reading of Weber’s Protestant Work Ethic, argues that the triumph of the "spirit of utility" is crucial to understanding modern notions of work
  • Draws on the work of various twentieth century Catholic thinkers, including Josef Pieper, Jacques Maritain, Eric Gill, and David Jones
  • Published in the new and prestigious Illuminations series.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Lots Of Good Stuff In Here, 27 Jan 2010
By Ms. C. Poole "Eve Poole" (UK) - See all my reviews
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When I started my theology PhD, everyone I met spoke with awe about the one that was being written up by the brilliant John Hughes. As soon as it was out I made my pilgrimage to the University Library to pay it homage, so I am delighted that those sensible people at Blackwells have seen fit to publish it. As befits a book that started life as a thesis, it is hardly a light read, but it is well worth the effort. I see from my notes about it I have written: `lots of good stuff in here,' hence my title. The book starts with a survey of twentieth century theologies of work, before moving on to examine nineteenth and twentieth century debates about labour under capitalism. His `big idea' is about the centrality to modern work of the `spirit of utility' and its essentially anti-theological origins. In tracing this provenance he uncovers a suppressed theological source, to which he attributes many of the psychological difficulties that have in his view subsequently dogged the Marxist tradition. He shows that a parallel critique of work from the English Romantic tradition has rendered this theology explicit - through the work of Morris and Ruskin - criticising contemporary labour conditions on the basis of a vision of true work as art, akin to God's work in creation. He rounds up this treatment with a survey of those twentieth century Catholic thinkers who have supplemented this aesthetic tradition with classical metaphysical categories, producing a robust critique of utility as essentially nothingness. Hughes intends that this analysis be used to rescue work, transforming it from nothingness into co-creative activity with God so that it `becomes a liturgical offering.' One of Hughes' particular contributions is his exploration of the concept of utility. He notes that its historic usage also connoted goodness and happiness, notably in Bentham's Utilitarianism, but over time it came to mean mere `utility.' However, peeling back the layers of this particular onion reveals the emptiness at its core. By definition, utility has to point towards something else, utility for what. Hughes uses this insight to restore the aesthetic critique of work - utility's traditional opponent - by recalling beauty's status as an intrinsic good. He argues that the phenomenon of the beautiful points to the theological because of its ontological transcendence, thus providing the ideal necessary to facilitate critique. In doing so, he offers us a wonderful challenge: how can we make the work that we do more beautiful?
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5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book in the illuminations series, 3 Oct 2008
By A. P. Davison (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
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This series is really coming up with terrific volumes: Desmond on God and mediation, Stanley Hauerwas on the University and John Hughes on Work. They've all been compelling reading. If he doesn't quite have the stature of those other names, then Hughes certainly deserves praise for having tackled an under-considered subject - work - and then giving us a thorough and perceptive theological consideration. It doesn't say so on the cover, but this is very much in the Radical Orthodoxy school. It's going on my reading lists.
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