The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play | Psyche Ideas

Alec Stubbsis a philosopher and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET). Edited by Sam Haselby Save Share Post Email We are obsessed with work. It shapes our identities, gives our lives structure, and guides us towards our purpose in life. As Americans, work is who we are. We believe that our achievements and productivity not only define us but also pave the way for success and happiness. For the Korean German philosopher Byung-Chul Han, contemporary capitalist society has become an ‘achievement society’ and we, as its subjects, have become ‘achievement-subjects’. In the achievement society, we suffer from an internalised pressure to achieve – to do more, to be more, to have more. Whether we are aware of it or not, we have internalised the capitalist work ethic to the degree that our successes and failures weigh heavily on our individual shoulders. The primary result of

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