The right to be lazy, and other studies

by Paul Lafargue

"The Right to Be Lazy, and Other Studies" by Paul Lafargue is a book published in 1883. French socialist Lafargue challenges the labor movement's fight for longer working hours, arguing that wage labor equals slavery. He proposes workers should demand leisure and joy instead of eight-hour workdays. Lafargue believes automation could reduce work to three or four hours daily, freeing time for relaxation, friendship, and self-realization. He controversially advocates for the right to be lazy over the right to work.