In the newest Philosophy speaker series, Professor Emeritus Frithjof Bergmann, from the University of Michigan, spoke with EMU students Thursday night in the Halle Auditorium on New Work, which is a philosophical and political movement.
New Work is put in place for people to find fulfillment in what they do every day and shed light on the poverty of desire.
“We have been working for the past thirty years on developing a New Work system which will make it more possible for people to become fully involved, creative, energized, and alive human beings,” Bergmann said. “Many people don’t suffer from egoism, they suffer from the opposite from egoism, which is the poverty of desire.”
Part of the conversation discussed the jobs in today’s society and what people want to do with their lives.
“When Frithjof was talking about this idea of the poverty of desire, a lot of people tend to think that they know what they want to do with their lives,” Assistant Professor in philosophy Michael Doan said. “Maybe even fool themselves thinking that they are doing what they want to do when a lot of us are going with the flow.”
This conversation also lead to the comparison between the New Work system and how society is run today.
“He answered my question of what kind of society would be the best way to run,” freshman dietetics major Isaac Salinas said. “This society that we are in right now is not really ideal, it’s mostly just run by the dollar value and he was talking about doing stuff that was actually self-fulfilling and also contributes to the community or society.”
Change in society is a factor in Bergman’s argument about why we should change the current society into a New Work society.
“I thought the idea was very unique and timely given the debates and general state of society,” senior Danielle Clevener, a psychology major, said. “I think the point about a balance of different kinds of work was very salient. I would like to find a balance of work and play and also fulfilling work on the various levels. I think that is important to feel worthwhile and fulfilled as a human being.”
