In Praise of Idleness

Abstract

I usually work with my office door open. It affords opportunities to discuss matters with colleagues on an informal basis and simply makes my day more interactive. Sometimes I worry that colleagues will see me in the office and think I am not working. I suppose this depends on the definition of work. It begs the question whether idleness is really a vice or if it can be used in a positive fashion. To examine this issue more deeply, I have consulted a small but powerful book by Bertrand Russell, In Praise of Idleness. Although the book was first published in 1935, it is worth reading even today. Russell was a mathematicianlogician-philosopher who exhibited a profound faith in the power of reason to solve nearly all problems. His hostility to orthodox religion is well-chronicled, as well as his pacifist views and embracement of socialism. His technical work, much of it done at Oxford, has come to be known as analytical philosophy. His powers of reasoning were truly phenomenal. Russell’s consideration of idleness is highly provocative. He believed that great harm is done by the belief that work is ‘‘virtuous.’’ Rather it was his belief that scientific organization of production can keep people comfortable with a smaller, less active workforce. The road to happiness lies in organization with diminution of work. Longer hours do not automatically bring greater productivity, just as greater wealth does not bring greater happiness. Rather, all of the data indicate that it is relative and not absolute wealth that contributes to happiness. Russell believed that a ‘‘contemplative habit of mind’’ is what makes the pursuit of knowledge possible. When people are lighthearted, playful, and able to choose their pursuits, contemplation can become very constructive. What is important is reflective understanding. It is not necessarily the consequences of knowledge, but rather its understanding that is important. Russell opines that when men and