“The Right to Be Lazy” by Paul Lafargue: Read the 1883 polemic that pierces productivity porn
The inaugural selection in the Public Domain Reading Club: Marx's son-in-law's witty pamphlet on the paradox of technological advancement and automation: despite the promises otherwise, it never frees us from work. Presented in the original translation — once deemed too dangerous for U.S. mail.
Welcome to the Public Domain Reading Club — selection #1
Join ESC KEY .CO's readers as we dive into the archives to uncover works that resonate unexpectedly with our current moment. From technological critiques to forgotten radicals, from alternative visions to skeptical inquiry, each selection crosses time to illuminate patterns that persist across different eras of upheaval and transformation.
To make it easy to read and reference, we republish these texts in full for subscribers — completely unaltered in their original edits or translations. In doing so, we acknowledge their historical context and limitations while excavating their enduring insights. Some were considered dangerous enough to be censored; others overlooked due to who wrote them. They're contributions to ongoing conversations about work, technology, cooperation and how we organize society.
We recommend starting with the companion briefing, where we contextualize the work, connect dots to current thinking and pose discussion questions. So bookmark this page and join us in reading between the lines of history — and our weird era.
Join ESC KEY .CO's readers as we dive into the archives to uncover works that resonate unexpectedly with our current moment. From technological critiques to forgotten radicals, from alternative visions to skeptical inquiry, each selection crosses time to illuminate patterns that persist across different eras of upheaval and transformation.
To make it easy to read and reference, we republish these texts in full for subscribers — completely unaltered in their original edits or translations. In doing so, we acknowledge their historical context and limitations while excavating their enduring insights. Some were considered dangerous enough to be censored; others overlooked due to who wrote them. They're contributions to ongoing conversations about work, technology, cooperation and how we organize society.
We recommend starting with the companion briefing, where we contextualize the work, connect dots to current thinking and pose discussion questions. So bookmark this page and join us in reading between the lines of history — and our weird era.
Before diving in, check out the TL;DR Briefing for this text:
Anti-hustle culture but can’t stop hustling? Paul Lafargue would like a word with you
Your TL;DR Briefing on things worth tracking — and talking about over your next power lunch. *Wink.* This time the thing is “The Right to Be Lazy,” a wildly timely 1883 book and the first selection for the new Public Domain Reading Club.
JD Shadel
