Post-work communism: decentring work while prioritizing needs

In what sense could a society committed to the satisfaction of its members’ needs (communism) qualify as post-work? To answer this question, this paper argues that meeting needs, however defined, will require some work in a post-work society. Next, it analyzes post-work transformation along five dimensions, considering how each relates to needs satisfaction: (1) the amount of time that work occupies in the average person’s life; (2) the degree to which the satisfaction of needs is conditional on performing work; (3) the degree to which work is treated as a social obligation; (4) the position of work within the society’s scheme of values; and (5) whether work is treated as a necessary social bond that connects individuals. The paper argues that work would be reduced in a post-work society, but since satisfaction of needs requires planning and coordination, work could not become entirely voluntaristic. Thus, removing the conditionality of needs on work would heighten the necessity of other motivations. Rejecting the social duty of work might strengthen the need for a work ethic, which itself could only be overcome in the context of a radical shift in how we enact relations between self and others.