"For many people, the work has ceased to be the privileged place from which to articulate their development staff and social". This is one of the premises put forward by Ana Marta González, professor of Philosophy and researcher of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra in her latest publication, work, Sentido y development, a book in which she reflects on the meaning of work from a philosophical point of view.

The author concludes that work is in crisis and in view of this "it is appropriate to reflect once again on the meaning of work and its place in our lives, highlighting its specifically human dimensions, as well as its relationship with rest, leisure and celebration". 

The publication begins with a historical overview of work in human life, from Eastern civilizations, the classical ideal, medieval organic ethics, the modern age and the present day. It addresses, among other issues, the division and organization of work, the difference between profession and professional vocation, the consideration of the home as a profession or the birth of the business profession. In another chapter, Ana Marta González presents the meaning of work as a human vector of sustainable development .

"A comprehensive consideration of work should not stop exclusively at its market value," writes the author, who speaks of a work that generates relational goods and on the need to find a balance between the work realized and personal creative capacities.

Redefining work: technological and cultural changes

Ana Marta Gonzalez assures that, linked to this moment of crisis, the world of work is in full redefinition. "It is always redefining itself, at the pace set by Economics: both because needs and the means to satisfy them are changing. Along these lines, changes linked to technological innovations, especially the introduction of artificial intelligence, have particularly attracted the attention of scholars, not only because they threaten some types of work, while creating new ones, but also because they significantly affect the way it is organized."

However, the researcher sample is more interested in cultural changes, in "how the expectations we have about work have changed and how we consider its relationship with the good life; to what extent we see it as a place where person and society intersect; whether or not we differentiate between work and employment; how we articulate, staff and socially the relationship between work, rest, leisure...; whether we manage to see the relationship between work and development staff and social", she argues.

The publication is part of the line of research work , Care and development that is part of the Strategy 2025 of the University of Navarra, which seeks promote the research and dialogue multidisciplinary on the role of work in shaping the personality, culture and society.