Automatic Society: Volume 1: The Future of Work

Across the world, integrated automation is leading to a drastic reduction in employment – from the legal profession to truck driving, from medicine to stevedoring. In this first volume of a new series, Bernard Stiegler advocates a radical solution to the crisis posed by automation and consumer capitalism more generally: he calls for a decoupling of the concept of ‘labour’ (meaningful, intellectual participation) from ‘employment’ (dehumanizing, banal work), with the ultimate aim of eradicating ‘employment’ altogether. By doing so, new and alternative economic models will arise, where individuals are no longer simply mined for labour, but also actively produce what they consume. This important new book by one of the leading cultural theorists will appeal to students and scholars across the social sciences and humanities, as well as anyone concerned with the future of our societies in a digital age.