Work Definition Debate

Comments debate the meaning and purpose of 'work', questioning whether it should be intrinsically valuable and fulfilling, merely for compensation, or defined by reluctance versus enjoyment.

📉 Falling 0.4x Career & Jobs
4,107
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#8627
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
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2008
33
2009
57
2010
64
2011
89
2012
102
2013
133
2014
137
2015
188
2016
204
2017
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2018
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2019
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2020
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2021
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2022
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Keywords

IMO work doesn doing doing work doing work work doing work framing life real work labor working

Sample Comments

notadoc Aug 23, 2019 View on HN

What's wrong with that? Work is for working, is it not?

cryptonector Mar 8, 2022 View on HN

Oh, for some value of $work that doesn't involve their ostensible reason, yes.

TwelveNights Jan 6, 2019 View on HN

I like this. Work doesn't have to be an end itself.

cosmotic Nov 17, 2025 View on HN

Doing work isn't necesearily value, and value depends on perspective.

superuser2 Jun 20, 2015 View on HN

"Work" in this context would be your job, not things you do on your own initiative.

collyw Mar 3, 2020 View on HN

Some work is more valuable than other work.

ChuckMcM Mar 30, 2011 View on HN

Depends on your definition of 'work' doesn't it?

buzzblog Nov 19, 2010 View on HN

There's a reason it's called work.

apersona May 30, 2017 View on HN

What's "real" work?

emodendroket Oct 3, 2018 View on HN

Necessary work may be noble, but doing busywork for the sake of it is not.