Books › In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays
In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays
270 pages
A witty, lucid dismantling of the modern obsession with work and productivity that feels like a breath of fresh air.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like sitting in a comfortable armchair with a brilliant, slightly wry mentor who is calmly explaining why everything society tells you about the virtue of hard work is a scam. The prose is famously clear, cutting through complex political and economic dogma with elegant, accessible logic. It is a steady, contemplative read that never rushes, inviting you to pause and fundamentally rethink your relationship with time, labor, and leisure. Readers who feel burnt out by modern hustle culture will find these essays surprisingly prescient and deeply comforting. It delights those who appreciate sharp, historical social critique delivered with a calm, rational, and gently subversive smile, leaving you feeling intellectually refreshed and liberated.
- Mood
- contemplative
- intellectually stimulating
- calm
- Tone
- wry
- lucid
- provocative
- rational
- subversive
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the value of leisure · critique of the work ethic · dangers of dogmatism · social progress · rationalism
- The writing
- Exceptionally clear, witty, and elegantly logical, avoiding academic density in favor of accessible persuasion.
- The arc
- Begins with a provocative dismantling of societal expectations and settles into a calm, reasoned vision for a more humane existence.
- Who it's for
- Thinkers and recovering workaholics who enjoy accessible philosophy and sharp, historical critiques of hustle culture.
Content notes
- discussions of fascism and totalitarianism
About the book
This is a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell first published in 1935. In the 1932 essay which gives the title to the volume, Russell propose people work for a maximum of 4 hours-per-day to think, socialise, etc. Other essays treat about sociology, philosophy and economy and also technical architectural problems are discussed in a social frame proposing solutions.
CONTENTS (original edition)
I In praise of idleness (1932)
II "Useless" knowledge
III Architecture and social questions
V The ancestry of fascism
VI Scylla and Charybdis; or, communism and fascism
VII The case for socialism
VIII Western civilization
IX On youthful cynicism (1929)
X Modern homogeneity (1930)
XI Men versus insects (1933)
XII Education and discipline
XIII Stoicism and mental health (1928)
XV What is the soul?
Description from Open Library.
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