Le droit à la paresse : réfutation du droit au travail de 1848 by Paul Lafargue
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Le droit à la paresse : réfutation du droit au travail de 1848 by Paul Lafargue is a political-economic essay and socialist polemic written in the late 19th century. It challenges the capitalist cult of work and the liberal “right to work,” instead advocating the right to leisure as a foundation for human flourishing. The book denounces the moral, religious, and economic glorification of labor, arguing that overwork degrades bodies and minds,
exploits women and children, and fuels overproduction, crises, and poverty. Drawing on historical contrasts with ancient disdain for servile toil, factory reports of brutal hours, and the absurdities of bourgeois consumption and colonial expansion, it claims machines should liberate people rather than enslave them. It calls to ration labor across the year, reduce daily work to three hours, expand rest and festivals, and raise workers’ consumption so production serves life. A satirical finale and an appendix of classical authorities reinforce the central demand: reject the “right to work,” and embrace leisure as the mother of arts and virtues. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Lafargue, Paul, 1842-1911 |
|---|---|
| Title | Le droit à la paresse : réfutation du droit au travail de 1848 |
| Original Publication | Paris: Henri Oriol, 1883. |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_to_Be_Lazy |
| Credits | Laurent Vogel (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica)) |
| Language | French |
| LoC Class | HD: Social sciences: Economic history and conditions, Production |
| Subject | Working class |
| Subject | Hours of labor |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77029 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-77029-1 |
| Release Date | Oct 11, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 210 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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