Brief extrinsical reflections on the encyclical and the practical aspects of the personalist question.
“While it may seem that in the industrial process it is the
machine that "works", and man merely supervises it, making it
function and keeping it going in various ways, it is also true
that, for this very reason, industrial development provides
grounds for reproposing in new ways the question of human
work. Both the original industrialization that gave rise to what
is called the worker question and the subsequent industrial
and post-industrial changes show in an eloquent manner that,
even in the age of ever more mechanised "work", the proper
subject of work continues to be man”.
The apparent dilemma stated implies that there has been a false notation on the vast majority of the Employer systems, at least on the basic foundation of the Social aspect of the work provided by them. This can be stated considering, in my opinion, the fast and rapid pace of the evolution of the organizational systems on behalf of the profits shown or given, logically blindfolding those in charge of the definition of the practical systems in order to maintain or keep the profit that was selfishly been acquainted.
Needless to say, the intention of these here lines ought the practical aspects, and a fundamental way of changing the action towards conscience and work, for those reached and able to understand the underlying principle sought. Therefore, what must lie first is the essential justification of the reason why we say that the Mechanicistic Paradigm must be fully replaced by the Personalistic Reality.
“it is also a fact that, in some instances, technology can cease to be man's ally
and become almost his enemy, as when the mechanisation of
work "supplants" him, taking away all personal satisfaction
and the incentive to creativity and responsibility, when it
deprives many workers of their previous employment, or
when, through exalting the machine, reduces man to the
status of slave”
Therefore, the main evil of the Mechanicistic paradigm is not so much that of disrespecting human labor per se, but to glorify and to elevate to a status of person-guiding device, the technology imposed to set the pace of the work. Persons as such have become less efficient and less profitable working systems than machines and therefore, I shall not think that it justifies appreciating his work as much as I appreciate the work that automated systems give me. Because their throughput is enormously higher than if I put a person to do the same activity as the automated system does… Denying the principle imposed that defined the primary purpose of Work (In a theological framework):
As man, through his work, becomes more and
more the master of the earth, and as he confirms his dominion
over the visible world, again through his work, he nevertheless
remains in every case and at every phase of this process within
the Creator's original ordering(Subdue the earth and all of its creatures…)
The misalignment and misconception evident in the previous (small) justification, can be – not explained- but attempted to be explained, in the divison of Labour and capital, to some extent, the second major flaw of the human condition and its consequence (being the first the Original Sin). Laborem Exercens necessarily puts the variables in order,
“the principle of the priority of
labour over capital. This principle directly concerns the
process of production: in this process labour is always a primary efficient cause, while capital, the whole collection of
means of production, remains a mere instrument or
instrumental cause. This principle is an evident truth that
emerges from the whole of man's historical experience”
The final statement of this brief is the statement itself. That human work is not a key, but The Key to the social question, when approaching it towards the progress and natural good of Humanity as a whole. Man is the purpose of work, regardless of it. And humanity, through work not only transforms nature, he also achieves fulfillment as human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes more of a human being.
Alejandro Cárdenas Ballesteros
Apaseo el Grande, Gto. Junio de 2011.
