Derek Thompson, whose previous appearances in our pages were important but not blockbuster, was due for a home run. And here it is, with a title–Workism Is Making Americans Miserable–that says it all. And the first paragraph will tell you whether it is worth your while to read. I think it is:

For the college-educated elite, work has morphed into a religious identity—promising transcendence and community, but failing to deliver.

In his 1930 essay “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” the economist John Maynard Keynes predicted a 15-hour workweek in the 21st century, creating the equivalent of a five-day weekend. “For the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem,” Keynes wrote, “how to occupy the leisure.”

Likewise, Why Are Young People Pretending to Love Work? is worth a read in part because it scooped the same story by a month and Erin Griffith makes clear we should already have long been following her thinking and writing for its clarity and wit:

I saw the greatest minds of my generation log 18-hour days — and then boast about #hustle on Instagram. When did performative workaholism become a lifestyle?

If I am correct that those are both worth a read, then this podcast is worth a listen because it puts Derek Thompson in direct conversation with two of the most influential researcher/writers on the topic of work and its meaning in our lives:

I had read the articles when they first were published, but did not put them into much perspective until listening to this conversation. I qualify as a workist. Work is not my religion, but the point is still well taken. This set of ideas is much bigger, and much more important than the experience of individuals; it is about how we organize for the future.