Deskilling and the Terrain of Social Justice

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/03/deskilling-and-the-terrain-of-social-justice/
Date Written:  2015-04-03
Publisher:  Counterpunch
Year Published:  2015
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX22519

A look at why it is important to form an understanding of what it means to be 'skilled', and why capitalist economies waste a vast amount of human potential.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

Why does it matter how we think about skill? If we say "there are no unskilled jobs" and leave it at that, then dispute over the issue is moot. We should just be happy that everyone is getting a chance to develop their potentials through enriching, skillful work. But this is a fantasy. A capitalist economy locks many people into boring, mindless, repetitive, meaningless work. This is not work that develops potentials but stunts them. Without a concept of skill and an understanding of its importance for human development, we lose the ability to make this critique.