Economics, Philosophy and the Neglect of Labour

Economics, Philosophy and the Neglect of Labour reasserts the significance of labour in economics and philosophy, both within and beyond the Marxist tradition.It explores how labour has been systematically neglected and misunderstood in Western thought – from its reductive treatment in biblical and classical texts, through its displacement during the scholastic period and the Enlightenment, to its marginalisation in modern political economy and law. By tracing this long history of neglect, Geoffrey Kay and James Mott challenge the assumption that labour is merely instrumental, a view rooted in the British moralists and perpetuated by Adam Smith and his followers. In contrast, they recover a tradition in which labour is purposive and creative, drawing on Aristotelian ideas of teleology and their transformation in Hegel and Marx.The book presents a critical examination of Heidegger’s attempt to undermine this perspective. While Heidegger’s ontology of Being excludes labour and creativity, Kay and Mott position labour as the vital site of creative activity, drawing on Lukács’s integration of Aristotelian concepts of teleology and social praxis. This not only challenges Heidegger’s appropriation of techne but also affirms the enduring relevance of Aristotelianism in Marx’s thought. The impoverished conception of labour within the development of economics perpetuates its neglect, obscuring its true significance. Revisiting the labour theory of value in light of technological transformation, financialisation and the expansion of consumption, Economics, Philosophy and the Neglect of Labour argues that labour remains central to understanding the dynamics and contradictions of the contemporary world.

Geoffrey Kay was Senior Lecturer in Economics at City University, UK. His publications include Development and Underdevelopment: A Marxist Analysis (1975), The Economic Theory of the Working Class (1979), and Political Order and the Law of Labour (1982), co-authored with James Mott.James Mott was Lecturer in Sociology at City University and Chair of the sociology and philosophy group until retirement. He is co-author of Political Order and the Law of Labour (1982).