Purpose
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Action versus Contemplation
Book The description for this book is as follows: "'All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,' Blaise...
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Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
Book In this book, anthropologist David Graeber argues that millions of people today find themselves in jobs that contribute nothing of...
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David Foster Wallace discusses Consumerism
Video In this video, David Foster Wallace discusses the dangers of consumerism and teaching individualistic self-gratification to children. He argues that...
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Drive
Book The description for this book is as follows: "Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards...
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Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 (from the Bible)
Poem In the opening chapter of Ecclesiastes, a speaker who identifies themself as a preacher and king of Jerusalem proclaim a deeply nihilistic...
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Existentialism: Crash Course Philosophy #16
Video In this video, Crash Course covers the philosophical idea of essentialism and its response – existentialism. The video then discusses...
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Existentialism Is a Humanism
The description for this book is as follows: "It was to correct common misconceptions about his thought that Jean-Paul Sartre,...
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Forging Pathways to Purposeful Work: The Role of Higher Education
Report This report conducted jointly by Bates College and the Gallup organization highlights the importance of meaning and purpose for today's...
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How to Care Less About Work
Article In this article, Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Peterson argue that American working culture is unsustainable. Warzel and Peterson ask: when...
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How to find a meaningful job, or find purpose in the job you already have
Video From the video description: "Broaching the question 'What is my purpose?' is daunting – it's a grandiose idea, but research...
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Is life meaningless? And other absurd questions
Video In this video, TED-Ed discusses Albert Camus. It offers some biographical background before exploring his philosophy. The video separates his...
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I've spent 2 decades studying how work affects our health and well-being, and one solution is clear: Your job has to serve a purpose beyond a paycheck
Article In this article, which is an excerpt from Rath's book "Life's Great Question: Discover How You Contribute To The World,"...
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Join Wall Street. Save the World.
Article In this article, Matthews writes about Jason Trigg, a bright young man who decided to become a hedge fund manager...
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Karl Marx on Alienation
Video In this video, BBC Radio explains Marx's views on alienation. According to Marx, authentic work is what makes us human....
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Maybe We All Need a Little Less Balance
Article In this article, Brad Stulberg argues that balance is not something we should strive for. Stulberg argues that people are...
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Midlife
Book The description for this book is as follows: "How can you reconcile yourself with the lives you will never lead,...
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New Melleray Abbey: One Thing
Video In this documentary video, the life of monks at the New Melleray Abbey is explored. At this monastery outside of...
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On Parenthood
Article In this article, prominent software developer Jeff Atwood describes his love of fatherhood and how parenthood has changed him for...
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Punching the Clock (from the book Bullshit Jobs)
Article In this excerpt published by Harper's Magazine from his work Bullshit Jobs, Graeber explores why it is that meaningless work makes us so...
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Status Anxiety
Book In this book, Alain de Botton explores the anxiety induced by fear of what others think of us. He explains...
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Status Anxiety (Video)
Video In this video, The School of Life discusses status anxiety – the anxiety that arises when we get asked "what...
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‘Success Addicts’ Choose Being Special Over Being Happy
Article In this article, Brooks compares the relentless pursuit of success to an addiction. He argues that work can be a...
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The Case For Doing Nothing
Article In this article, Olga Mecking introduces the Danish concept niksen--doing nothing. Mecking highlights the benefits of doing nothing from time to time--it...
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The compelling case for working a lot less
Article In this article, Amanda Ruggieri explores the compelling evidence against nonstop work, including that the work produced at the end...
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The existentialist’s reluctant guide to life
Article In this article, Ephrat Livni and Olivia Goldhill contend that even those who feel constant existential dread brings a sort of freedom....
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The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction
Book The description of this book is as follows: "The phrase "the meaning of life" for many seems a quaint notion...
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The Myth of Sisyphus
Philosophical Text In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus explores what he takes to be the absurdity of the human condition. He likens us...
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The New Workplace: Where Meaning And Purpose Are More Important Than Ever
Article In this article, business consultant Renelle Darr outlines the components needed for your work environment to feel meaningful for your...
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The Reality of Developer Burnout
Article In this article, Kenneth Reitz shares his experience of software developer burnout and outlines mechanisms he put in place to...
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The Return of Work in Critical Theory: Self, Society, Politics
Book In this book, the authors explore what work is and why it is significant for us as people. They begin...
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Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Book The description for this book is as follows: "Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary and subversive thinkers in Western...
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Triumphs of Experience
Book The description from this book is as follows: "At a time when many people around the world are living into...
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Using Philosophy to Deal with a Mid-Career Crisis
Video In this video, philosophy professor Kieran Setiya discusses how he used philosophy to address a midlife crisis, which prompted him to...
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Want To Find Your Purpose At Work? Change Your Perceptions
Book In this article, Tracy Bower argues that the way in which you think about your work is critical to finding fulfillment....
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What happens when we work non-stop
Article In this article, José Luis Peñarredonda discusses the experience of overworked workers, despite overwhelming evidence that working a healthy number of hours increases...
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What is Ethics?
From the video description: Ethics asks how we should live, what choices we should make and what makes our lives...
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What Work is Really For
Article In this essay, Professor Gary Gutting (who taught at the University of Notre Dame until 2019) approaches the question of...
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Why I Put My Wife's Career First
Article In this article, Andrew Moravcsik, husband of Anne-Marie Slaughter (who wrote this article about working mothers) describes his experience as a...
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Why Women Still Can't Have It All
Article In this article, Anne-Marie Slaughter draws from her own professional experience to explain why it is incredibly hard for women...
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Why You Should Stop Trying to Be Happy at Work
Article Article summary written by the author: "What are we really searching for when we say we want more “meaning” at...
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Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
Book The description for this book is as follows: "Perhaps Studs Terkel’s best-known book, Working is a compelling, fascinating look at jobs and...
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Workism is Making Americans Miserable
Article In this article, Derek Thompson outlines the new "workism" phenomenon. Despite predictions from 20th century intellectuals that Americans in the...