Most People Are Morally Obligated to Stop "Working"

Throughout history, the word "work" referred primarily to "activity necessary for survival", such as farming and building shelter. Another definition of the word "work" is "created intellectual artifact", such as works of art or major works in philosophy. Today, most "work" in the so‑called developed world clearly fulfills neither definition, so what definition does it fulfill? According to David Graeber (2018), the answer is Bullshit Jobs, as his eponymous book explains. This short essay can be considered a "spiritual successor" to his (2013) initial article called "On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant". While the author himself referred to the text as a "rant", that was clearly meant modestly, as "to rant" usually means "to speak or write in an angry or emotionally charged manner", which describes neither that text nor this one. This one, however, will focus more on the moral aspect of the unnecessary nature of most modern so‑called jobs.