Does Work Dignify Humankind?

For the longest time, in various academic fields, scholars have questioned whether work dignifies humankind — from the reflections of the German philosopher Karl Marx to papal encyclicals in the Catholic Church. 

What does it truly mean for work to embody dignity and elevate our sense of purpose? How does the proposition change in a new industrial revolution where nearly every task seems intertwined with artificial intelligence? Where is human labor headed in the years to come? 

Throughout history, the meaning of “work” has shifted as often as the political, economic, and cultural systems that frame it. Tracing that journey explains why we now speak of “work dignity” rather than simply employment. 

Below is a concise historical timeline showing how work and human dignity have evolved: 

1. Classical World (Greece and Rome, 8th c. BCE – 5th c. CE): Manual labor was deemed inferior; unrestricted citizenship meant freedom from physical work to pursue politics and philosophy. Dignity = freedom to work; enslaved people were denied moral consideration. 

2. Early Christianity and Middle Ages (4th – 15th c.): Work became a co-participant in divine creation and a charity channel; the honor of one’s craft emerged (artisans). The moral value of manual labor was equalized, though the estate hierarchy persisted. 

3. Renaissance and Protestant Reformation (16th c.): Daily work was a spiritual purpose; prosperity signaled divine grace. Dignity shifted to responsibly fulfilling one’s professional task, regardless of social rank. 

4. Industrial Revolution (18th – 19th c.): Work devests autonomy, becoming waged, repetitive, and mass-based; 12–16-hour work days and child labor were common. A social issue arose: dignity threatened by exploitation; unions and the first labor laws emerged. 

5. Marx and Socialism (1844 – 1917): Work should be self-realization, yet under capitalism, it becomes alienating; abolishing private ownership of production is proposed. Dignity demands conditions in which workers recognize themselves in their work. 

6. Social Constitutionalism and ILO (1919 – 1948): Work was declared as a social right and duty; an 8-hour work day, minimum wage, and social security emerged. “Decent work” became an institutionalized universal dignity standard. 

7. Welfare State and Fordism (1945 – 1970): Stable, protected, affiliated jobs; strong worker identity. Dignity vinculated to social citizenship: cradle-to-grave security. 8. Globalization and Neoliberalism (1970 – 2000): Surge of temporary contracts, outsourcing, global competition; rise of the “precarious worker.” Dignity is debated between entrepreneurial freedom and protection from uncertainty. 

9. Digital Era and Gig Economy (2000 – today): Blend of autonomy and vulnerability (algorithms, lack of benefits); blurred home-office boundaries. New challenge: safeguard dignity in digital nomads jobs amid automation.

In addition to the progress achieved throughout history, there is now also a clear record of Human Rights in labor matters. 

Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: 

1. Everyone has the right to work, free choice of employment, just and favorable work conditions, and protection against unemployment. 

2. Everyone, without discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. 

3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration, ensuring for themselves and their family an existence worthy of human dignity, and complemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. 

4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for interests protection. 

Although this last article is clear and concise, we must ask: What is happening today, in a world where new tools, apps, and services are replacing millions of jobs? Are we facing a threat to work dignity, or an opportunity to redefine it? Perhaps these technologies are not here to destroy work, but to transform it — to open space for new ways of doing, creating, and contributing. 

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “dignify” means “to cause something to be respected and considered important.” In other words, work is not merely production: it is a way to ennoble human existence. Therefore, beyond technological advances, the challenge is to ensure that work remains a path to dignity, not to exclusion. 

Humanity’s goal is to progress, grow, and develop toward the best version of itself. Work has long been a key tool guiding us along that path. Now is a good time to reconsider everything surrounding work, from the creation of different tools (or weapons) to the development of new solutions (or problems), considering each perspective. 

Artificial intelligence is here to stay, just as when the internet arrived or mass production before it. Each revolution spurred new jobs, transformed others, and eradicated some. 

Today, about 12 % of the global workforce — roughly 435 million people — earns a living through independent online work.2 It is worth watching where this will lead amid the AI boom and the coming robotic age. 

The World Economic Forum’s ”Future of Jobs” report projects that the next five years will be see fascinating shifts: 

● 170 million jobs will be created. 

● 1.09 billion jobs will keep evolving within a changing labor market. 

● 92 million jobs will be displaced. 

This means humans will keep seeking ways to employ themselves, create, forge ahead, and innovate. Employers already anticipate that 39% of key skills needed in the job market will change by 2030.3 Just as large language models evolve, people will adapt and reshape their vision of what will matter over the next five years. 

The world is changing, and all evidence suggests that in the next five years, we will witness deeper transformations than in the past century. New challenges will come — perhaps more jobs, perhaps fewer — but above all, greater human creativity will be essential for progress. 

Progress must aim not only at efficiency, but at better ways of living and working. Let us therefore continue to uphold the value of work, with equitable conditions, with human beings as the center of every process, and with our vision not only on results but on the dignity that makes those results possible. 

“Originality and a sense of one’s dignity are achieved only through work and struggle.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Writer’s Diary”