Our morality is ascetic, which makes us regard work as a virtue; it follows that production is good and consumption is bad. This ascetic twist has produced a world system in which half the world is poor because it produces too much and the other half because it consumes too little.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Mortals and Others; Bertrand Russell’s American Essays, v.1 (1975)
More info.: http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-070.HTM#r366-c019
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We each have our own unique moral and work ethics. However, there is often an inconsistency in applying these ethical views: we apply them to others but not to ourselves. Many people hold the belief that diligence and labor are virtues, yet they themselves desire to take it easy whenever possible. The proverb "strict with others, lenient with oneself" reflects this fact.
We all harbor a desire to spend our lives doing what we enjoy as much as possible, and throughout history, many philosophers across cultures have dreamed of a utopia. However, the real world is marked by a deep divide between wealthy and poor nations, and even within wealthy nations, there exists a significant gap between the rich and the poor.
A world where all of humanity can live in prosperity is highly likely to become possible through the use of AI and robotics. However, it is expected that there will be many twists and turns before such an era arrives.
The following words from Bertrand Russell, spoken more than 90 years ago (1932), reflect an attitude towards labor that, no matter how much the world has changed, still persists today. Isn't Russell’s observation still highly relevant today?
"Our morality is ascetic, which makes us regard work as a virtue; it follows that production is good and consumption is bad. This ascetic twist has produced a world system in which half the world is poor because it produces too much and the other half because it consumes too little."
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